Love or War
by N Tonks Fan
Summary: Clarke has returned from their victory in the Mountain with a heavily damaged soul. All she wants to do is lock herself away and drown herself in her guilt but as the alliance with the Grounders has been broken she is once more forced to put her people first. She must allow herself to come face to face with Lexa to try and negotiate the safety of her people.
1. Chapter 1

**So the creator Jason Rothenberg recently answered a fan question on Twitter and said that the alliance between the Sky People and the Grounders was truly over. It made me think about a possible fanfic. I've also been wanting to write a story looking at Lexa through Clarke's eyes so I thought why not join these two together!**

…

Clarke hesitated outside the gates of Camp Jaha. She watched as her people slowly trailed into the camp and were reunited with anxious relatives. The elation on their faces should have brought her a sense of fulfilment as it was thanks to her that these reunions were happening. Yet all she could think about was the countless other families whose lives she had destroyed that day by pulling the lever that sucked in the radiation infected air.

During their long trek back to their home she had nothing to do but think about what she had done. She could not forget the terror on the Mountain peoples faces as they had desperately tried to cling on to life. Life that she had sucked out of them so easily. She could still feel the eeriness of the rooms with bodies strewn across them. Their glassy eyes still bore into hers whenever her lids shut.

How was she expected to continue on when the grief and the guilt were dragging her down deeper and deeper? How could she watch children playing without thinking of all the young innocent children she had murdered? How could she eat when the image of the Mountain people slumped over their dining tables was so fresh in her mind? How could she look Jasper in the eye knowing that she had ended the life of the one that he loved?

As she stood by the gate Bellamy turned back and held out his hand.

"We're in this together Clarke," he told her. "And we'll find a way through it together."

"I – I don't know if I can," she whispered.

Admitting it out loud only heightened the demons within her. Why should she be allowed to battle through the pain? She had done a terrible thing and her punishment should be living with this overwhelming guilt for the rest of her life. She did not deserve forgiveness.

"You're strong Clarke," Bellamy said earnestly. "It may take time but you can do this. I know you can."

She shook her head, tears gliding down her face.

"You saved us all Clarke! You saved your mother, my sister, everyone! We would all be dead right now if you hadn't done what you did. You're a hero!" Bellamy exclaimed.

His words only encouraged the flow of her tears.

"Don't call me that," she gasped. "I'm a m-murderer!"

Her legs buckled from under her and she went crashing to the ground. Sobs wracked her body as she lay crumpled on the grass.

Suddenly she felt broad arms reach around her and lift her up. As Bellamy carried her into the midst of the camp she buried her face in his chest and clamped her eyes shut to avoid having to put up with the stares from her people. Instead she was once more forced to relive the writhing bodies of the Mountain people as they suffered an agonising death.

Just as Clarke was starting to allow herself to relax in Bellamy's hold he stopped and gently placed her down on a bed. He threw a blanket over her before sitting down on the edge of the bed. Her sobs slowly started to subside as he tenderly stroked her hair.

"I don't deserve your pity," she told him.

"No you don't," he agreed.

She looked up at him in surprise. She had known that people would treat her differently from now on, whether it was fear, hate or sympathy but she had always thought that Bellamy would have been the one to treat her the same. He had been a part of the decision to flood the Mountain with radiation after all.

He smirked as he slowly wiped away the silent tears that were still falling from Clarke's weary eyes.

"You deserve my gratitude," Bellamy explained. "Why can't you see that you did what was right for our people? You had no other choice. You're exhausted and in shock. Maybe once you've slept you'll start to come to your senses."

Clarke slowly absorbed his words. He was right of course, she had done the right thing in the end for her people but that didn't mean that she should feel good about what she had done or that it was something to be celebrated.

She was too tired to say anything more, being both physically and emotionally drained. Bellamy was right, she did need to sleep but whether she would be able to was another story.

"Stay with me," she whispered as she allowed her heavy eyelids to close over. Her mind became active as soon as the darkness enveloped her. She could see her and Bellamy's hands pulling the lever that reversed the air dents. She could see the Mountain people dropping one at a time as the radiation consumed them. Yet she could also see her people chained to the wall being forced to watch as the Mountain people drilled into them as if they were nothing more than scraps of metal.

Just as Clarke was about to surrender herself to sleep the door to the room was thrown open.

Her eyes snapped open as she sat up in bed, awake and alert. Bellamy had jumped to his feet.

It was Kane.

"Clarke, we need to talk," he said urgently.

"Look at her!" Bellamy leapt to her defence. "She needs rest. Whatever it is surely it can wait!"

"I'm afraid not," Kane replied gravely.

Clarke felt inclined to agree with Bellamy. She was in no state to be a leader right now, physically or emotionally. Her mind was too clouded for her to make any sensible input and her heart was just not up to it.

She said nothing but just stared at Kane with unseeing eyes.

"I'm sorry Clarke but this really is urgent. The Mountain Men may have been defeated but we still have another enemy out there. Our truce was broken the moment Lexa abandoned us on the battlefield. We will never be able to work with them again but perhaps we could come to some arrangement to avoid another war. I would imagine that they know about our victory in the Mountain by now which means they could be marching on us as we speak. I hate to ask you to do this so soon after current events but it has to be done. We need you Clarke. We need you to go and speak to the Commander."


	2. Chapter 2

Clarke gasped as Lexa's name was brought up. Coldness seeped over her as her lungs seemed to fill up with metaphorical water. So this was what it felt like to be drowning she mused. She had not allowed herself to think about the other leader since she had turned her back and walked away from them on the battlefield. Clarke had forced herself to put her feelings aside and focus on the task at hand – saving her people. It was what Lexa did time and time again.

She was immediately transported back to that night. She had been confused at first as to why Lexa was ordering her people to stop. Lexa herself had offered no explanation but had just stood and stared at Clarke with her emotionless features. As the door had opened and the prisoners had began to pour out realisation had begun to dawn on Clarke. She had clinged onto the hope that her people would be released also but something about Lexa's stony face had told her that her hope was to no avail.

"_Sorry Clarke, they weren't part of the deal."_

Lexa's frosty words had felt like a punch to the stomach. After all they had been through together? All the planning to ensure that both their people made it out safely Lexa had so easily pushed them aside. Pushed _her_ aside.

Clarke had stood dumfounded as more of Lexa's people were released from the Mountain. She had wanted to scream at Lexa in fury, break down in hysterical tears, maybe even grab on to her knees and beg her to reconsider the deal but she had remained still and quiet. All she could do was gaze hopelessly at the Commander who had looked haughtily back at her.

How could this be the same girl that had not so long ago admitted that she had feelings for Clarke? That had kissed her so tenderly just minutes before they had marched to the battlefield? Had it all been a lie? A ploy to get Clarke to trust her before she stabbed her in the back?

As much as Clarke had wanted to believe this (for it would make it easier for her to come to terms with Lexa's betrayal) she knew deep in her heart that Lexa had not lied. She had always been open about the fact that her people came first but Clarke had believed that once Lexa had revealed her true feelings that Clarke would be an equal priority to her. She had clearly been wrong if Lexa was so easily willing to condemn the Sky people trapped in the mountain and to leave Clarke and the rest of them to be wiped out on the battlefield.

"_I do care Clarke, but I made this choice with my head, not my heart."_

More of Lexa's words came back to Clarke. How was she to know whether the Commander cared or not? How could she tell anything when the majority of the time she froze out her feelings. Maybe she did care, it did not matter either way. She was still happy to retreat and leave them to be slaughtered. Clarke had willed Lexa to show some sort of emotion, to give her a sign that what had transpired between them had been true but it was fruitless.

"_The duty to protect my people comes first."_

It was logical of course, perhaps even predictable. Should Clarke have seen this coming? Was this her fault for trusting the Grounders? For trusting Lexa? Had she let herself become too attached to Lexa? They had spent a lot of time together in the fight against Mount Weather. She was one of the few that had been gifted with seeing the softer side of the ruthless Commander. Had that been her mistake? For thinking that Lexa would remain the vulnerable girl that had been scared to admit that she cared for Clarke. As soon as the time had come to march to battle Lexa had become the formidable warrior and leader that she had been brought up to be.

Clarke had eventually found her voice again after the shock had worn off and she had pleaded with Lexa. Desperation had clung to her. The Grounders were their only hope for taking the Mountain. They needed their numbers, their strength. They needed Lexa…

She did not know what she had expected Lexa to say. It was unlikely that she would have reneged on the deal but perhaps she could have come up with some other way of helping the Sky People. A way of helping Clarke. She had been relying on Lexa's weakness when it came to her to find some solution that could benefit both of their people.

Lexa's whispered apology had startled Clarke. She had felt the sincerity and genuine sorrow of her words which had made the situation that much harder to bear. It had clearly been a more difficult choice than the Commander was letting them believe. She did care, Clarke had concluded. The realisation had caused a wave of warmth to pass through her. The feeling was short lived however as the Grounders had started to retreat.

Clarke had searched Lexa's eyes in desperation. She was panic stricken – about to lose everything. Lexa was the only one that had the power to do anything. She had seen a flash of hurt cross Lexa's face as she had looked at her for the last time.

"_May we meet again."_

Lexa's final whispered words had echoed the pain that she had briefly allowed to consume her face. Clarke's angst had threatened to overcome her as she watched Lexa's retreating back. Her eyes had stung as she fought back the onset of tears. Her heart was breaking and her soul felt like it had been ripped into pieces. Lexa's final words had played in a loop in Clarke's head as she watched the Commander and her people fade into the darkness.

A part of her had wanted to run after Lexa but the stronger part of her told her that like Lexa, she had to put her people first. Her place was here with them, even if that meant that she was about to lose everything.


	3. Chapter 3

"Why does it have to be her?" Bellamy argued.

"The Commander values Clarke above all of us," Kane explained. "I doubt that anyone else would get through to her."

"Because she's a heartless bit-"

"Bellamy!" Clarke interrupted. "Please, you don't know her like I do…"

"You're actually defending her Clarke?" Bellamy shouted incredulously. "We trusted her and she betrayed us! She left us to die inside the Mountain and you to die outside of it!"

Clarke was unsure why she was defending Lexa when she felt the exact same way that Bellamy did. She could understand Lexa's reasoning of course and in the end she herself had chosen her people over another set of people but that still did not excuse Lexa's actions. It did not alleviate the pain that it had caused Clarke or lead her to think about forgiving the other leader.

"Leaders must make tough choices," Kane said. "Trust me, I'm just as angry with Lexa as you are but if this is how she treats those that she's in allegiance with imagine how she treats her enemies! She is a lot more merciful and understanding than the majority of her people so if we want the chance to live the rest of our lives in peace we must act while she's still in charge. I would imagine that she has upset a fair few of her people with the order to retreat after they had been promised a battle."

Clarke chose to believe that Lexa would continue to honour their alliance but after what she had pulled at the battle she could never again predict the other leaders actions. It was likely that Lexa would adopt a 'We won't touch them if they don't touch us' policy but if a group of Sky People ran into a group of Grounders and a fight broke out it would surely result in war. Lexa had already stopped the Grounders from attacking them once, it would be unlikely that she would be able to deny them of this privilege again.

"He's right," she sighed to Bellamy. As much as it pained her she knew it had to be her that spoke to Lexa. Her mother was too weak from the bone marrow extraction to make the journey and while Lexa respected Kane they had not forged the same bond that she and Clarke had. "I want you both there with me though," she ordered. If she was going to come face to face with Lexa so soon after her betrayal then she was not going to do it alone.

"Of course," Kane agreed.

"Yeah I'd like the chance to tell her what I think of her in person," Bellamy snarled.

Doubt flashed across Clarke's mind. Perhaps bringing Bellamy was a mistake. He had looked after her though since their return from the Mountain and he gave her a sense of strength. Strength was something that she was going to need for her reunion with Lexa.

It suddenly hit her that throughout their whole conversation she had not once thought of her actions at Mount Weather. She had allowed herself to get caught up in her feelings for Lexa instead of wallowing in the guilt of all the blood that she had acquired on her hands. It was selfish Clarke realised to be thinking of herself over the hundreds of people that she had murdered.

Preparations were quickly made and within half an hour they were heading off into the depths of the woods. They were unsure where Lexa was currently located but Clarke had a feeling in her mind that Lexa would have returned to Tondc. She knew that the Commander felt guilty for allowing her people to die so it was likely that she would return there to make amends.

The three were silent as they marched on, each one deep in their own thoughts. Clarke was focused on Lexa. She did not know how she was going to react when she saw her. Would she be angry? She had every right to be angry after her trust had been betrayed. If not for Lexa Clarke would not be sinking in a pool of shame for the deed that she had committed. Would she break down in front of the other leader? _No_, she vowed. Lexa did not deserve to see the hurt and pain that she had caused Clarke. Perhaps she should take a leaf from the Commanders book and remain emotionless. Her emotions always seemed to have a way of betraying her though.

Clarke wondered what it would have been like if things had turned out differently. If Lexa had stayed and fought by her side. Would they still have been victorious? Would they be celebrating their win right now with the Grounders? Would she and Lexa have had time to discuss their feelings for each other? There would have been casualties though she reasoned and the Mountain Men could still have posed as a threat to them. Could it be that things had turned out for the better? That the only price that they'd had to pay for their victory was Clarke's soul?

As they neared the village a sense of panic began to engulf Clarke. Her exhaustion had reached a new level. The lack of food combined with the amount of walking she had undertaken that day was starting to take its toll. Every muscle of her body ached. She felt nauseous and light headed yet still she could not bear to consume any food. Her mouth was dry and her throat prickly. Her eyes stung from a combination of tiredness and all of the tears that she had let loose. Her legs seemed to get heavier the closer to the village that they got. Was her fear at their proximity to the village due to the unknown reception that the Grounders would give them or the thought of being close to Lexa once more?


	4. Chapter 4

All too soon it seemed to Clarke they arrived on the outskirts of the village of Tondc. They were met at the gate by two menacing looking Grounders who raised their spears but did not strike.

"We're here to see your Commander," Clarke's voice wavered slightly as she spoke.

The Grounders conversed in their native tongue before one turned and retreated into the village. The other kept his spear trained on the trio.

Clarke glanced sideways at Bellamy who gave her a brief smile. Even Kane looked slightly unnerved as they waited. Had they made a terrible mistake by walking into the Grounders lair alone? No, she reasoned with herself. The Grounders would have spotted them coming a mile off. If they had wanted them dead they would never have made it this near the village. Lexa was not a monster. She made tough choices but it seemed unlikely that she would want to take their lives.

Clarke grew jittery the longer they waited. The butterflies that had appeared in her stomach were doing nothing for the nausea that she had already been experiencing. Was this some sort of game to Lexa? Was she deliberately keeping them waiting to unnerve them or to assert her authority? There was no need Clarke thought. She already knew how much power the young leader possessed.

Just as Clarke was getting near breaking point and Bellamy looked like he was about to punch something the guard returned. He beckoned for them to follow, indicating that they should drop their guns in a basket on their entrance to the village. He led them through Tondc to one of the few buildings that seemed to have withstood the missile attack. The leering faces of the Grounders followed them as they snaked through the village. Clarke had never felt truly comfortable in the Grounders territory but Lexa's presence had always helped to alleviate her worry. Now though Lexa could pose just as much as a threat to their safety.

They were brought to a halt at the entrance to the building.

"The Commander has ordered that only you enter," the Grounder looked to Clarke.

"No," Clarke replied immediately. "Tell your Commander that all three of us demand an audience with her." She hoped that her words were making her sound stronger than she felt.

The Grounder hesitated before ducking through the door. Clearly they did not like having to tell the Commander anything that she did not want to hear. Clarke marvelled in the fear that such a fresh faced young girl had managed to instil on her people.

Minutes later the ashen faced Grounder reappeared.

"Very well," he said gruffly.

Now it was Clarke's turn to hesitate. Was she really ready for this? No was the honest answer. The sense of betrayal was still fresh in her mind, the lives of the Mountain people weighed heavily on her and her body's low physical stamina was pulling her down.

She turned to Bellamy desperately. He took her hand in his and squeezed tightly. It was he that entered the building first, his hand still wrapped around Clarke's, dragging her after him into the dimly lit building.

Clarke's eyes locked onto Lexa's as soon as they entered the room. The leader of the Grounders was standing at the head of a long rectangular table. The black war paint that disguised the extent of her youth was smeared on her skin. She wore a mask of indifference on her face. Despite having seen the other side to Lexa Clarke still felt intimidated as they stopped short at the opposite end of the table.

A wave of emotions hit Clarke. Despite having known what was coming she still felt a sense of shock when she first laid eyes on Lexa. Pain was the next thing to hit her, pain for the way that Lexa had so easily abandoned her in her time of need. Anger closely followed for the way that Lexa just stood staring at them blankly, treating them as if they were somehow beneath her. Surprisingly though she also felt a thrill of excitement run through her due to being so close to Lexa once more.

Clarke's heart thudded loudly in her chest. Her palms and forehead were glistening in sweat. Her legs trembled ever so slightly as she stood.

Lexa analysed each of them in turn, her gaze stopping to linger at Clarke's hand still entwined with Bellamy's. Her eyes had immediately sought out Clarke's who was careful not to give anything away. She noticed with satisfaction a muscle twitching in Lexa's cheek. Only Clarke could tell that she was annoyed as she made sure to keep her expression impassive.

"Clarke of the Sky People, Marcus of the Sky People, Bellamy of the Sky People," Lexa greeted them in her mature Commander voice.

Clarke felt a jolt in her stomach as her name passed through Lexa's lips. It felt strange to hear Lexa's voice again even though it had been just one day since they had last exchanged words. Lexa's parting words to her had been softly spoken in the tone that she seemed to reserve just for when she was around Clarke. It was almost unpleasant for Clarke to hear her as the cold Commander once more.

Clarke tried to respond but found her throat clogged up.

Luckily for her Kane stepped in. "Commander. We're here to negotiate peace terms between our people. Enough bloodshed has already occurred."

Lexa acknowledged him with a nod before turning to Clarke. "Surely this is something for the two of us to discuss?" she queried. "Since you have always been the chief negotiator in the past it seems only logical for you to continue in this role."

Clarke gulped. Lexa was clearly trying to get rid of Kane and Bellamy. Clarke wasn't ready yet to confront Lexa. The pain inside of her was still too raw.

"No!" She quickly answered. "All three of us are here to negotiate."

Lexa raised an eyebrow but said nothing in return.

"Please Commander," Kane once more took control. "We want our people to feel safe. We don't want the threat of an attack from your people looming over them. Surely you at least owe us that."

"I owe you nothing," Lexa shot back. "I do not regret the decision that I made on the battlefield. I will however say this," she paused. "I would gladly have fought alongside your people. Our Alliance was an educational experience for both of us, we learned much from each other. I was sorry in the end that it had to be broken."

"Had to be broken?" Bellamy exclaimed. "It didn't have to be broken! You chose to break it! You took the cowards way out and left us all to die."

Lexa glared at him. "I took the deal for my people. For the safe return of those that had been kidnapped and the prevention of however many other deaths on the battlefield. It was the right thing to do. If you wish to negotiate peace terms I suggest you stop trying to provoke me," Lexa warned them.

"If it were up to me we wouldn't be here at all," Bellamy spat. "We shouldn't have to stoop to the level of working with traitors. If we defeated the Mountain People alone then there's no reason we couldn't defeat you lot too."

"Bellamy please," Clarke begged. He was only voicing what she did not yet have the courage to but she could see the fury in Lexa's eyes and knew they needed to keep her calm if they were to come to some sort of peace arrangement.

She squeezed Bellamy's hand tightly, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Lexa whose gaze hardened.

Clarke wondered what the other girl was thinking. Could she be jealous of her close bond with Bellamy? Would she think that there was something going on between them? Clarke found herself wanting these thoughts to be true. Seeing Lexa jealous would just be another way of proving that the girl had feelings after all.

"So what do you say Commander?" Clarke asked deliberately, avoiding the use of her name. "Can we discuss terms?"

A hot flush had started to work its way down Clarke's body. Faint pins and needles were beginning to form in her hands and feet. She could feel sweat gliding down her back.

"I want to say yes Clark but it's not that simple," Lexa said slowly.

As the two stared at each other Clarke's vision began to blur. Her legs had turned to jelly giving her the feeling of floating off of the ground. She started to feel like she was going to be sick as her head began to spin.

The last thing she remembered before blacking out was the surprising look of panic etched on Lexa's face as she had hurried towards Clarke.

….

**I know all the chapters have been leading up to this moment and you may feel disappointed by their initial meeting but there's lots more interaction to come between the two, I promise! **


	5. Chapter 5

Clarke awoke to find a male Grounder inches away from her face. Startled, she tried to get up and push him away but he was too strong, especially in her weakened state.

"Rest," he ordered, forcing her back down on the bed. "Drink." He handed her a cup of water. "Eat," he gestured to a plate of dried meat and bread that had been placed beside the bed.

Clarke gratefully gulped down the water but ignored the food. She was still not able to stomach food. Not after what she had done at Mount Weather.

The Grounder departed leaving Clarke alone to collect her thoughts. Her brain was still fuzzy and she had a throbbing pain in her temple. She slowly started to remember standing in the room with Bellamy and Kane trying to negotiate peace with Lexa. She had started to feel unwell but could remember nothing else until waking up just a few moments ago. Bellamy and Kane! She suddenly thought. Where were they? Were they safe? Had the peace negotiations continued? She did not even know how long she had been out for.

Panicking she threw the woollen blanket off and tried to swing her heavy legs around to the edge of the bed.

"Don't even think about it," a menacing voice warned her.

Clarke looked up in terror to find Lexa towering over her. She breathed a sigh of relief, she had thought for a moment that it had been Indra. She looked wearily at Lexa, unsure how to interact with the other leader.

"Back into bed," Lexa ordered her.

Clarke stayed where she was.

"Where's Bellamy and Kane?" she shot back.

"They're fine," Lexa assured her. "They're sleeping in the building next door."

"I want to see them," Clarke demanded.

Lexa looked at her in exasperation. "It's the middle of the night Clarke. You can see them in the morning. You should be asleep."

Clarke reluctantly settled herself back into bed. Truthfully she was relieved as she was unsure whether she would have been able to stand or not.

"Why are you awake then?" Clarke challenged Lexa.

"I had stuff to attend to," Lexa replied stiffly.

Clarke could not help noticing that Lexa's eyes wandered off to the side as she said this.

"You're lying," Clarke observed.

Lexa looked uncomfortable but said nothing.

A sense of awe washed over Clarke. Could it be that the Commander had stayed up to keep an eye on her? Did her feelings for Clarke run deeper than she had first thought?

"Were you worried about me?" Clarke asked gently.

She found herself unwillingly praying that the answer was yes.

Lexa could not make eye contact with her as she replied. "No… Maybe…."

Clarke's heart leaped at her words.

"Why is that so hard for you to admit?" she asked cautiously, wondering if she had overstepped the mark.

Lexa glared at her.

"You need to eat," she changed the subject. "Leaders have to be physically and mentally strong. How can you be expected to look after your people when you can't even look after yourself? It was stupid of you to think you could go on without eating."

The rage that had been building up within Clarke ever since Lexa had turned her back on them midbattle chose this moment to erupt.

"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do," Clarke snarled. "I'm not one of your devoted kinsmen that will obey your every word!"

Lexa did nothing but stand and watch Clarke which only infuriated her even more.

"Why don't you leave me alone? I don't want to be around you right now!"

She was quick to realise the irony of these words as was Lexa.

"You're the one that sought me out Clarke," Lexa said calmly.

Clarke's head was a mess. She was furious with the Commander but at the same time glad to be back with her. The hurt that Lexa had caused was still too fresh to even consider forgiveness. It was partly due to Lexa that Clarke now carried around her heavy burden of guilt. Her body's physical weakness was not making it any easier to think straight.

"I came to you for the sake of my people," Clarke told her. "Our relationship is purely one of business."

"That is one of the reasons you came here yes," Lexa agreed. "But not the only one."

"I-" Clarke faltered. Why did Lexa always seem to be able to second guess her? "Ok fine. I needed to understand why you did what you did," Clarke admitted.

"You refused to be alone in my presence before," Lexa questioned. "Why? Are you scared of me Clarke of the Sky People? "

"No!" Clarke answered defiantly. "I just didn't have the strength to confront you then," she admitted.

"And now?" Lexa's eyes narrowed.

"I don't know," Clarke answered honestly.

"You shouldn't hide behind your emotions Clarke," Lexa warned her.

"Are you serious?" Clarke snapped. "That's what you do all the time!"

"True," Lexa acknowledged. "But it is not what you do."

"You want to see my emotions? Fine!" Clarke raged. "I hate you for making a deal with Mount Weather! For breaking your alliance with us and leaving us to die! I hate what I was then forced to do as a result of it!"

Lexa's face remained a mask of indifference as Clarke shouted at her. "I did not make you kill those people Clarke."

"But you did!" Clarke yelled. "I had no other choice after our only hope of victory abandoned us! After you abandoned us!"

She couldn't believe that Lexa was unwilling to take responsibility for the decision that she had made and the devastating result that had followed.

"We always have a choice Clarke," Lexa said calmly. "If you want my opinion as a leader you made the right choice, the _only_ choice."

"A choice that I was forced to make after you betrayed us!" Clarke spat. "All that effort to unite our people. The amount of strategising that went into the attack. Ordering our people to work alongside each other. It was all for nothing!"

"Not for nothing," Lexa corrected her. "Both sides benefited from the Alliance."

"And how exactly did we _benefit _when you turned your backs on us at the last minute?" Clarke growled.

"You got your people out didn't you?" Lexa stated. "And you eliminated the enemy at the same time. I'd say it worked out well for you in the end."

Clarke had always known that her exchange with Lexa would be trying but she hadn't fully comprehended just how difficult it would be. She had hoped that Lexa might display some sort of remorse for her actions when she was alone with Clarke but the Grounders leader seemed determined to remain detached from Clarke.

"Worked out well?" she gasped. "I may have gotten my people out of Mount Weather but my soul has been trapped inside that Mountain ever since! To you I may have 'eliminated the enemy' but to me I killed hundreds of innocent people!"

"They weren't innocent Clarke. They were all the enemy. Did you not think that many of them would have lost their lives if we had stuck to our original plan and stormed the Mountain?"

"Of course," Clarke responded. "But then I wouldn't have been in the horrific position of choosing to eradicate a whole species!"

Hot tears began to well up in Clarke's eyes.

"You can't think of it like that," Lexa told her. "This torture will be the end of you. You have to see a way to get past this."

"I'm not like you," Clarke gasped. "I may have been you when I pulled the lever that triggered the deaths of all those people but now having to live in the aftermath I am nothing like you. I can't just switch off my feelings and move on Lexa!"

"I know," Lexa said softly. "I am sorry for the position that I forced you into Clarke, I really am. But I cannot be sorry for saving the lives of my people."

With those final words Lexa took her leave. It was the use of her gentler voice more than anything that allowed Clarke's ragged breathing to settle and her tense fists to unclench. Her exchange with Lexa had drained her already weak body. She craved sleep yet her heart was still beating rapidly from her heated discussion. Her mind was abuzz with thoughts of the other leader and her mixture of emotions was simmering just below the surface, ready to boil at a moments notice. She was disappointed that Lexa had left just as she had been starting to convey her feelings. Perhaps that was why she had chosen to leave Clarke thought. Showing her true feelings was a mark of weakness for Lexa.

There was still much to be said between the two girls but for now Clarke allowed her physical exhaustion to take over, although it was many minutes before she calmed down enough to let herself to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Clarke was aware of someone gently shaking her shoulder. She allowed her eyes to slowly open and saw Bellamy standing over her bed.

He grinned when he saw that she was awake.

"Alright Princess?" he asked.

She smiled briefly in return. The few hours sleep seemed to have made a difference. She no longer had a splitting headache and she was able to think clearer. She still felt nauseous but that was likely due to the lack of food.

As if reading her mind Bellamy handed her a cup of water and plate of fruit.

"Eat up," he told her. "I don't want to spend any longer here than I have to so the quicker you get better and set the terms with Lexa the sooner we'll be back home."

Clarke gingerly picked up a grape and slowly bit into it, savouring the sweetness. Going at the same slow pace she made her way through the plate of fruit. The aching in her stomach began to reside as it was reintroduced to food.

Now that she had allowed herself to sleep she was able to see that Lexa had been right in what she had said. Clarke punishing herself by depriving her body of its physical needs was not the answer to her guilt and would only result in the downfall of her people. As great as her emotional needs were at the moment, her peoples needs were greater. They relied upon her. Her actions had already caused damage by delaying the peace talks with Lexa.

A new sense of determination heightened by her fight with Lexa caused her to shakily get up out of the bed.

"Whoa, where are off to?" Bellamy asked.

"To continue the peace talks with Lexa," Clarke replied.

"Are you sure you're well enough?" Bellamy asked.

The concern in his voice touched Clarke but if there was something that she hated, even more than Lexa right now, then it was being treated like a sick person. She could look after herself, although some people might disagree with that statement at the moment.

"I'm fine," she brushed him off.

She took a few steps towards the door and had to stop as she became dizzy.

"Take it easy!" Bellamy told her. He gripped on to her arm and guided her gently out of the room.

Clarke grudgingly allowed him to assist her through the village back to the exact building they had entered the previous day. She felt the same wave of nervousness as she had felt yesterday at the thought of seeing Lexa. Although in some ways it felt worse after the way she had shouted at the Commander during the night. She would not allow herself to feel bad about the way she had acted. Lexa had deserved every word that she had thrown at her and more, only she had not been given the chance to continue. Perhaps she would get the opportunity today.

They stopped at the door to the building. "Will you be ok here will I go and get Kane?" Bellamy asked.

Clarke nodded and watched him hurry off. She figured that she would go inside and take a seat since she was still slightly unsteady on her feet.

She stopped short as she entered the room that they had occupied the day before. Lexa had already arrived.

A shiver ran down Clarke's body as her heart rate quickened. She had not counted on being alone with Lexa so soon after their last heated exchange. She now regretted not waiting outside for Bellamy to return. She had stupidly assumed that Lexa would have been off dealing with Grounder business and would have been the last to arrive.

Clarke glared at Lexa who stared blankly back.

"Clarke. Are you well?" the Commander enquired.

"Fine," Clarke retorted.

"You are still angry with me," Lexa observed.

"Still angry?" Clarke gasped. "I'm furious with you Lexa! You let us think we could trust you then you stabbed us in the back!"

"I had hoped that our talk last night would allow us to move on from this incident and focus on the future."

"This incident?!" Clarke asked incredulously. "You call abandoning me and my people, leaving us to be slaughtered or captured an incident?"

"Why are you so fixated on this Clarke?" Lexa snapped. "What's done is done. I saved my people, you saved yours. Your people are alive and free. You won."

"We would have won if we had stuck to the original plan," Clarke's voice shook with fury. "There was no guarantee that my people would have won after you deceived us."

Lexa sighed. "You know that I only did what had to be done. It had never been my intention to betray your people Clarke. I know that you can understand where I was coming from when I took the deal and ordered my people to retreat. As leaders we _must_ put our people first. So why do you still carry around this hate for me?"

Lexa's words impacted on Clarke. It was true that she understood Lexa's reasoning and had slowly come to accept the decision that she had made so why was she still so furious with her? Was it because Lexa's betrayal had been on a personal level? That she had admitted her feelings for Clarke, invited her to the Capital and had then just as quickly turned her back on her? Or was it another reason entirely?

Lexa's questioning eyes bore into hers as she struggled to voice her conflicted feelings.

"It's not all for you," she realised. "It's self loathing. I hate the person that I have become, the things that I have done. I hate that I allowed myself to be taken in by you, for letting myself trust you. I hate that the final decision to save my people and slaughter hundreds of people was placed on my shoulders… I have so much anger inside of me, a lot of it directed at me but since I can't shout at myself I take it out on you."

"If that's what it takes to get you through then fine," Lexa shrugged.

"Seriously?" Clarke questioned her. "That's all you have to say on the matter?"

"What else is there to say?" Lexa asked.

"You're happy for me to hate you as a way of dealing with my guilt?"

"Yes," Lexa simply said.

A sense of annoyance gripped at Clarke. Why could the Grounders leader never just say what was truly on her mind?

"I don't get you Lexa!" Clarke snapped.

She was prevented from saying anything more by the arrival of Bellamy and Kane.

Lexa's gaze remained fixed on Clarke as the two men entered the room and stood beside Clarke.

She eventually tore her eyes away from Clarke and addressed the group: "Let's get down to business," she stated.


	7. Chapter 7

"What exactly is it that you want from me?" Lexa asked the three Sky People.

"A guarantee that our people are safe," Clarke replied. "Your assurance that the Grounders won't attack us."

"I can't do that," Lexa said simply.

Clarke gaped at her. "What do you mean you can't do that?"

"You're asking for eternal peace but how am I to predict what will happen in the future?" Lexa asked.

"You'll have our word," Kane supplied.

"And what does word count for?" Lexa asked, glancing sideways at Clarke.

Clarke felt a pang of hurt. It was true, Lexa had already shown that she was capable of going back on her word and she trusted no one so it would be unlikely that she would form a truce based on the spoken assurances of the Sky people.

"Even if I did take your word for it I could not speak for the future Commanders of our people. I can only speak for my people while I remain in charge," Lexa added.

"Fine, then promise us that you won't attack us as long as you are in charge," Clarke told her.

Lexa slowly shook her head, her eyes not breaking contact with Clarkes. "I'm sorry Clarke," she said strongly. "But I can't do that either."

Clarke's previous anger began to reappear.

"Why?" she asked furiously.

"Our people have history," Lexa said coldly. "We have killed many of your people but you have killed numerous of ours too. I can't just forgive the past."

"But you were willing to do so before!" Clarke exclaimed.

"That was different," Lexa's eyes narrowed. "We had a common enemy then. We needed each other. Plus you had something to offer us – the cure for the Reapers. What do you have to offer us now?"

"I-" Clarke faltered. She was genuinely shocked at Lexa's cool demeanour. She had never assumed that it was going to be easy to negotiate peace with the Grounders but with her and Lexa's kiss she had thought that the Grounders leader would have wanted peace between their two people if their relationship was ever to progress. She had believed that Lexa had truly felt sorry for leaving them at the battle and would be wishing to make amends. Had she been wrong about Lexa all along? Did the Grounders Commander really feel nothing for her? Was she just as savage as her people?

"We have our advanced technology, our expert medical knowledge, our weapons," Bellamy piped up.

"We have no use for technology. Our healers manage fine. We do not need your weapons," Lexa informed them.

"That's a lie!" Clarke stated. "How many times have we saved the lives of your people through our medical expertise? You may not want our technology or our weapons but you need our medicine!"

"You have saved far fewer lives than you have taken," Lexa said cooly. "Our Healers coped before your arrival in our world and they will continue to do so now."

"But you run the risk of losing countless people!" Clarke said desperately. "People that could be saved with training in modern medicine."

"Then so be it. It is not a strong enough basis upon which to negotiate a ceasefire," Lexa told them.

A sense of panic began to engulf Clarke. She did not know what would happen to her people if they could not reach an agreement with Lexa who seemed determined not to give in. Was this her way of retaliating for the way that Clarke had treated her since arriving in the village?

"But it's what's best for your people," Clarke implored.

"Is it?" Lexa asked. "My people crave war. I promised them a battle then took it away from them at the last minute. They're angry, restless, blood thirsty. Now that the Mountain Men are gone our closest threat is you, the Sky People."

"But we're not a threat!" Bellamy snapped. "We just want to live in peace and forget all about your people and the Mountain Men."

"You've been a threat since the moment you arrived here," Lexa stated. "You burned down one of our villages with your rockets, you planted that bomb on the bridge, you barbecued hundreds of our Warriors during our last battle."

"If your people wanted to fight then you should have let them," Clarke retorted. "That night at Mount Weather! Instead you chose to flee!"

Hurt flashed across Lexa's face before it once more hardened.

"I saved my people! They may not see what I did as a positive thing right now but they will come to realise that I did what was best for them."

"Just because your people are unhappy with you right now doesn't mean you should punish our people!" Clarke insisted.

"It's not about punishing your people Clarke," Lexa replied. "It's about keeping my people together. It took a lot of work to unite the 12 clans. It's even more work trying to maintain the union. Our fight with the Mountain Men gave us a sense of purpose, a shared goal to works towards. Now that the battle is over there is nothing to focus on. The clans are starting to turn on each other. It won't be long until we're at war with our own people once more. I'm doing everything in my power to prevent this from happening but it seems inevitable. Once more I must put my people first. I can't waste time trying to prevent them from attacking you when it could delay them fighting with each other."

Clarke's heart sank at Lexa's speech. Had she just been pulled into the same trap once more? Thinking that Lexa would help her people only for her to turn around and prioritise her own. Either way it was bad news for the Sky People. If Lexa agreed to the truce it seemed likely that she would lose command of the other Grounder Clans and would have no power to stop them coming after the Sky People. If she managed to retain command then it looked like she would be coming after the Sky People as a way of pacifying the clans.

At that moment they were interrupted by a harassed looking Grounder.

"Commander! We need you!"

Lexa immediately rose and swept out of the room.

"We shall continue our talks later," she called back to the three members of the Sky Crew.

"Peace talk isn't going so well," Bellamy smirked. "These people don't do peace. We should never have come here."

Clarke glared at him.

"They do, do peace," she defended the Grounders. "Well at least Lexa does anyway. We just need to find the right bargaining chip."

"Well we'd better come up with something quickly," Kane said gravely. "Bellamy's right, this has not gone well at all."

Clarke nodded. Once more it felt like all of the pressure was placed on her. It was down to her to convince Lexa to change her mind, she just needed to crack the Commander's exterior and appeal to her inner weakness.


	8. Chapter 8

After their meeting with the Commander had been cut short Clarke had returned to the room that she had slept in the night before. She knew that she should be with Kane and Bellamy trying to figure out a solution for their peace treaty but she needed time alone. Her thoughts were stretched in several directions. She was still carrying her grief from the events that had occurred at Mount Weather, she still felt anger towards Lexa, she was newly concerned for the wellbeing of her people from the possible threat of the grounders and she felt confused regarding her feelings towards Lexa.

Her main focus had to be trying to appeal to Lexa but she felt like she hardly knew the girl anymore. She felt more distanced from her now than she had done in a long while. Lexa's admission of her feelings and the kiss that they had shared should surely have brought them closer together. She had thought that ever since Lexa had exposed her more vulnerable side to her that she would see more of this quality but Lexa had been determined to remain indifferent. Was it all due to her decision to turn against the Sky People or was she regretting having ever disclosed her feelings to Clarke?

As Clarke sat pondering there was a noise at the entranceway to the room and she looked up to find Bellamy standing there.

"Thought of a way to save us yet?" he asked, dropping down beside her on the bed.

"No," she sighed. "You and Kane?"

Bellamy shook his head ."It's all up to you princess."

"There has to be something that we haven't thought of," Clarke wondered. "Lexa may be ruthless but she's shown that she's fair and just too. We just need the right bargaining chip."

The two began firing ideas back and forth. As time went on their suggestions became more ludicrous so that by the time Clarke's next visitor arrived the pair were lying on the bed giggling despite the gravity of their current situation.

There was the sound of a throat clearing and the pair immediately stopped laughing as they saw who had just arrived.

Lexa was standing surveying the scene, clear distaste on her face. Humour did not seem to be a trait that was popular amongst the Grounders.

Clarke's heart leaped involuntarily at the site of the Commander framing the doorway. She sensed a feeling of tension in the room that had not been present before.

"I am ready to continue our talks," Lexa addressed them.

Annoyance gripped at Clarke. She was starting to get fed up of Lexa's cold frontier and her constantly treating the Sky People like they were beneath her. Before Clarke could verbalise her feelings Lexa spoke again.

"Bellamy, find Marcus and bring him to the Council room," she ordered.

"You can't tell me what to do," Bellamy retorted. "I'll go and find Kane because I want these meetings to be over and done with, not because you ordered me to Commander."

With a last glance at Clarke, Bellamy got up from the bed and departed, leaving behind a silence that hung in the room.

The two girls looked at each other warily. Eventually Lexa spoke.

"You two seem close," she said observantly.

"We are," Clarke admitted. "We've been through a lot together. We're good friends."

Could it be that Lexa felt intimidated by her relationship with Bellamy?

"Just friends?" Lexa asked.

"Yes," Clarke told her. "Do you have any friends Lexa?" she asked curiously.

She had never heard the Grounder's leader talk about anyone in her life other than Costia. Clarke realised in that moment that she knew very little about Lexa all together.

"I don't have time for friends," Lexa said chillingly.

Clarke felt a pang of sympathy for the other leader. It was lonely being at the top.

"What does it matter anyway whether Bellamy and I are friends or not?" she quizzed Lexa.

"It doesn't," said Lexa quickly.

"It clearly does," Clarke pushed. "You're not one to waste your words."

Lexa glared at her. "Forget it."

"No," Clarke responded. Getting Lexa angry had been the only way that she had revealed what she was truly feeling before. It was time to get the answers she had been looking for since the battle but had been too angry and upset to seek before. "You're jealous?"

"I am not," Lexa snapped.

"Please Lexa," Clarke adopted a pleading tone. "Just let me in. You've done it before, you can do it again. I need to know if what you said to me before the battle was true?"

Lexa's face remained impassive but her eyes were darting from side to side. She was clearly having some internal struggle.

"Alright," she eventually sighed. "I owe you that much I suppose."

"You do," Clarke agreed.

"I do care about you Clarke," Lexa focused on a point past Clarke's shoulder as if she couldn't bear to look at the other girl as she spoke. "More than I have done for another in a long time."

Clarke's stomach fluttered at Lexa's words.

"Then how could you betray me?" Clarke asked.

The raw pain from that night on the battlefield still haunted her.

"Because I have to put my people before everything. My own feelings don't matter, nor does the feelings of those that I care for," Lexa admitted. "That's what it takes to be a strong leader."

Clarke found herself understanding where Lexa was coming from but she could still not fully forgive the girl.

"Did you feel anything when you took the deal?" she asked hesitantly, unsure whether she would like Lexa's reply.

Lexa's face softened slightly as her eyes found Clarke's once more.

"Of course I did," she whispered. "I knew that it would hurt you. I also knew that there was a chance that I could lose you but you're strong Clarke, you won and made it out unscathed."

"I wouldn't say unscathed," Clarke said bitterly.

"I really am sorry for what you had to do," Lexa told her. "I can see how much you have been punishing yourself ever since."

Clarke nodded as hot tears spilled from her eyes.

"I can't live like this," she gulped. "The guilt is eating me up inside. I no longer feel like the same person that I was."

Lexa hesitantly reached forward and took Clarke's hand in her own. Clarke's body tensed at the sudden contact despite that fact that she had been craving Lexa's touch ever since their kiss.

"That's because you're not the same person," Lexa told her. "Even in the short time that we have known each other you have changed Clarke of the Sky People. For the better."

"It doesn't feel like it's for the better," Clarke cried.

"Leaders must be willing to do anything for the sake of their people and that is exactly what you did," Lexa said wisely. "You have to stop focusing on the lives that you took and look at the lives that you saved. The lives of the people that you care about."

"It's not that simple. I can't just make it all go away," Clarke said quietly. "I wish that I could."

"It'll get easier with time. It may not seem like it just now but I promise you that it will. There is no easy fix," Lexa said looking down at their joined hands.

Clarke began sobbing heavily. She almost felt a sense of relief about being able to offload her feelings to someone even if it was to the person that had caused all of these feelings in the first place. She had contained her emotions for several days now so it felt good to be able to speak openly.

Without thinking she placed her head on Lexa's shoulder and continued to cry. She felt the Commander's body stiffen at the contact but she made no move to break away. Clarke found herself inhaling Lexa's earthy scent which helped to calm her down.

"Did you even consider the possibility of turning down the Mountain peoples offer?" she sniffed.

"A good leader always looks at all possible options before coming to a decision but there was no real choice," Lexa admitted. "My heart would have turned down the offer," she said gently. "Because my heart knew that if you did survive the battle that I would lose you anyway. That there would be no going back from my betrayal of your trust."

Clarke's own heart melted slightly at these words but she said nothing. She could neither confirm nor deny whether Lexa had lost her or not for she did not truly know the answer herself.

"Perhaps I should never have told you how I felt," Lexa looked away from Clarke. "It would have made things a lot more simple. The alliance would have ended and you would have hated me from a distance."

"No, I'm glad that you told me," Clarke said softly. "I feel something for you too Lexa but I just can't act upon it at the moment. Too much has occurred between us…"

Lexa nodded in understanding.

"Do you think you'll ever forgive me Clarke?" she asked.

"In time, perhaps," Clarke replied.

Once again she could not give an honest answer as she did not know whether she could forgive Lexa or not. To some it would seem ludicrous to even consider forgiving the Grounder's leader after all that she had done – sending her warriors to attack the Drop Ship, almost invading Camp Jaha, demanding the life of Finn the boy that Clarke had declared love for, torturing Raven and then finally betraying them all midbattle. Either one of these points individually was surely reason enough to hate the Commander for the rest of her life. So why was it that she could not bring herself to do this?

The Commander excited yet terrified her at the same time. She hated her but equally felt like she could easily fall in love with her. She had never felt like this with anyone else before. Not even Finn. At the time she had thought that she had loved Finn but now she wasn't so sure. Not when she compared the way she felt around Lexa to how she had felt around Finn. Killing Finn had been another murder that she had been forced to commit due to the Commander. To avoid any more harm she should stay well away from the Commander but the idea of not seeing Lexa again was surely going to bring her more pain rather than less.

"We should get back to business," Clarke said reluctantly, wiping away the remains of her tears.

"Very well," Lexa said promptly. She removed her hand from Clarke's and strode towards the door, pausing at the archway. "Just so you know. Walking away from you was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do," she confessed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry guys! We got a puppy last week so she's been taking up all my time! **

**...**

Clarke followed Lexa through the village of Ton DC attracting the attention of all that they passed. It was unclear whether the stares were focused on Clarke as an outsider or Lexa their great leader. Either way it made Clarke feel on edge.

Before they reached the building that they were meant to be meeting Bellamy and Kane in a pair of grounders raced up to Lexa and started conversing rapidly in their native tongue. Clarke came to a halt beside the Commander and watched the trio intently. Lexa's face had hardened as she listened to what the two men had to say. The men themselves looked angry as they conveyed their story to their leader.

Every so often Lexa's eyes flicked over to Clarke, a sense of uneasiness seemed to have settled over the Commander. A feeling of dread began to creep up on Clarke. Whatever it was that had happened she had a feeling that it somehow involved her or her people. Had Bellamy cracked and done something stupid in the few minutes that they had been apart?

When the men eventually stopped talking Lexa barked out orders to them then turned to Clarke.

"I must go," she said in English.

"What's happened?" Clarke asked, concerned. "Is there something that I can help with?"

Lexa momentarily hesitated. "No," she said shortly.

"Tell me!" Clarke demanded. "If you don't I'll just follow you and find out anyway."

Lexa glared at her. "I am the Commander. You can't just – "

"You're not my Commander," Clarke butted in. _Not yet anyway_ she thought to herself wistfully.

"I control an army of thousands!" Lexa said coldly.

"But you don't control me," Clarke retorted.

The two stood staring fiercely at one another. Each one determined not to let the other win.

Clarke marvelled at how quickly Lexa managed to transform herself from opening up to Clarke and sharing her feelings to the cold, fierce warrior that now stood before her.

Clarke was determined not to let the other girl gain the upper hand. Lexa had been calling the shots since the beginning and it was time that Clarke fought back. It was not a battle of power, rather a battle of wills. Each one demonstrating their inner strength and resolve.

They were roused from their face off by shouts near the entrance to the village.

Lexa quickly spun and ran towards the commotion, Clarke following close on her heel.

Clarke stopped short as they arrived at the source of the noise. A Grounder hunting party had returned but rather than carrying the bodies of animals they were carrying those of humans. Two were Grounders but the third was a Sky Person.

Sorrow welled up within her for the loss of one of her own. She did not recognise the man but whoever he was he was sure to have family back at Camp Jaha and Clarke's heart emitted sympathy for them.

The increase in noise level roused Clarke from her thoughts. More villagers had joined the gathering, they were starting to become more rowdy with most of their jeers being directed towards Clarke.

She had been too caught up in her grief to think about the implications of the deaths for the alliance between their two people.

"What happened?" she asked quickly.

"They were in the forest and came across a group of your people, a fight broke out. Your people killed two of mine and left several more injured," Lexa replied coldly.

"My people wouldn't start a fight unless they had good reason to," Clarke replied just as coldly. "And you've killed one of our people too." She tried not to let the rising panic that she was feeling show.

"Regardless, you've taken the lives of two of our people," Lexa said.

"In what was no doubt an unprovoked attack on my people!" Clarke shouted. She immediately regretted her outburst. The Grounders were already angry, it would not do to rally them further, especially with her current position – alone, with no weapons right in the heart of the lions den.

The tail end of the hunting party approached the clearing, carrying with them a thrashing Grounder. The women was smeared in blood and was clearly in some amount of pain. Clarke's instincts took over and she immediately raced forward to help but was stopped by a group of the villagers stepping forward to form a barrier between her and the injured woman.

"I just want to help," Clarke tried to explain.

The Grounders all shook their heads and threw what sounded like insults at her in their own language. They began to slowly condense together, getting closer and closer to Clarke.

Clarke's fear grew. What they had been trying to prevent from happening since their arrival in the Village – the Grounder's turning against them – seemed to be occurring and she could do nothing to stop them. Not when she knew nothing regarding the fight that had taken place. For all she knew it could have been her people that had started it.

She looked desperately to Lexa who looked back at her with her stern Commander expression.

_Of course_, Clarke thought. She was never there for when she needed her to be.

Lexa always prioritised the need to look strong and dignified above her sense of humanity.

As the Grounders edged nearer to Clarke, Lexa threw up her hand.

"Stop!" She yelled. "I will deal with her personally."

Clarke's sense of fear did not alleviate at Lexa's words. She could not tell whether Lexa truly was angry with her or whether it was a front while her people were around. Surely she would let no harm come to Clarke after once more confessing her feelings towards her.

She could not afford to think like this however as Lexa had proved that she was capable of doing anything to protect her people including enforcing revenge on those that harmed them.


	10. Chapter 10

Lexa grabbed Clarke by the arm and dragged her back through the village to her own personal quarters.

Clarke remained quiet, unsure how to react. Her mind was whirring, desperately trying to think of a way out of her current predicament.

Lexa shoved Clarke roughly into the building, ordered her guard to remain outside and stormed inside after Clarke.

Clarke backed herself against the wall of the room, eyeing Lexa warily.

Lexa stood still in the doorway, gazing impassively at Clarke.

"I feared that something like this would happen," she eventually spoke. "It was only a matter of time."

"What are we going to do about it?" Clarke asked tensely.

"There is nothing we can do," Lexa said sternly. "War is unavoidable."

"Over the deaths of two people!" Clarke protested.

"It's not just about this latest quarrel," Lexa said slowly. "I have denied my people of two wars now, I cannot deny them of a third. Too much has occurred between our two people for there to be any talk of peace. I'm sorry Clarke."

"You're sorry?!" Clarke gasped. "You're the Commander Lexa! You're in control."

Lexa shook her head. Slowly she was allowing her mask to slip and letting Clarke see the fear and exhaustion on her youthful face.

"I don't think I will be for much longer," she admitted. "My decision to leave the battlefield was not well received. The way of our people has always been blood for blood and I took away our chance to seek revenge when I called for my people to retreat. It does not matter to them that I saved countless lives or that we got our people back safely. As I said before the union between the twelve clans is failing, already I have heard whispers of other Commanders plotting to overthrow me and take charge of the twelve clans themselves. They're calling me weak," Lexa said bitterly.

Clarke felt genuine sympathy for her fellow leader. "I'm sorry," she said gently. She knew how much the Commander hated to be seen as weak. "Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing if you were no longer in charge?" she said hesitantly.

Lexa looked at her incredulously. "I was chosen for this," she defended herself. "I can't be seen to fail now, not after all that I have achieved. Besides, a leader that fails in their duty is put to death. Do you want me to die Clarke?"

Clarke was startled at the harshness of the way of the Grounders. After all this time with them she'd thought that nothing else would surprise her but she had clearly been wrong.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed. "But your people love you Lexa. They would never harm you."

"They must follow tradition," Lexa explained. "Anyone who fails to follow our ways is also put to death."

"I don't want to go to war against you Lexa," Clarke said desperately.

"You don't," Lexa acknowledged. "But I would imagine that your people will be quite happy to try and seek revenge for my betrayal."

Clarke sighed. She had been trying to coax Lexa into opening up to her.

"You think I want to fight you Clarke?" Lexa asked softly. "I have been praying that things would not turn out like this. Ever since you arrived here with your plea for peace I have been trying to come up with a way for our people to coexist but there is none. I just hope that we do not meet face to face in the battlefield… I can't be responsible for the death of someone else that I care about."

"Could you do it Lexa?" Clarke asked her uncertainly. "Could you kill me in battle?"

She waited with baited breath for Lexa's answer, half curious, half frightened of what her answer would be.

Lexa's eyes filled with pain. "No," she whispered. "That thought has occupied my dreams every night since the battle and I know that I would not have the strength to do it which is why I have to ask you to do something that you will not like." Lexa paused for a moment. "Leave Clarke. Leave me, these woods, your people. Get as far away from here as you can. It's the only way I can think of to protect you. If we are meant to be then we will find each other again."

Lexa's face was anxious as she waited for Clarke's reply.

Clarke was flabbergasted, she had never heard Lexa speak in such pleading tones before. She was touched as the girl clearly cared for her a lot more than she had let on but to ask her to do something like this?

"I can't Lexa," Clarke uttered. "I can't just abandon my people, especially not if we are to go to war. How could I walk away and leave your people to slaughter mine? You couldn't do it either. If our roles were reversed or if I was to ask you to come away with me right now you would say the same would you not?"

"You're right," Lexa answered. "I knew that would be your answer but I had to ask. We both value our people above ourselves. I could still have you forcefully taken to safety at another Clan, there are still a selected few out there that I trust," she threatened.

"You really think that's the way to regain my trust?" Clarke raised her eyebrow but couldn't help but smile at the other girls determination.

"Very well," Lexa conceded. "You can return to your people."

There was the sound of drumming outside and war cries.

"They're coming for you!" Lexa yelled, her face panic stricken. "You must go!"

She leaped at a large chest sitting on the floor and pushed it out the way, revealing a trap door.

"There's a passage under here, it'll take you out just beyond the village boundaries. I'll try and keep them distracted while you escape," Lexa said quickly.

Clarke hesitated, she found herself unwilling to leave Lexa, knowing that the next time they came face to face they would be enemies on a battlefield.

"What about Bellamy and Kane?" she suddenly remembered. "I can't leave without them!"

"I'll see what I can do, but it might be too late," Lexa replied.

"No!" Clarke said stubbornly. "I can't go without them."

Lexa stared angrily at her.

"Your people may be dispensable to you Lexa but I see each and every one of mine as an individual. Bellamy and Kane are my friends, I will not leave here without them."

Lexa threw up her hands in frustration and stormed out of the room.

Clarke heard her menacingly ordering the crowd that had gathered to see Clarke to disperse.

"We wait until nightfall! Then we will punish the Sky Girl!" she shouted. "Now return to your work, we have a war to prepare for!"

It seemed that she still held some authority after all as the crowd roared in appreciation and then Clarke heard the sounds of many footsteps retreating.

"Let anyone into my quarters and you will pay with your life," she heard Lexa threaten the guard posted outside the building.

Her words sent a chill down Clarke's spine. Lexa was a truly formidable leader, Clarke found herself glad that she was not on the wrong side of her.

_Except she was_ she suddenly realised. Well, her people were anyway. Technically she and Lexa were enemies too. Despite the hate she still felt towards Lexa she could not bear the idea of them being enemies. The thought of having to physically fight against her was insufferable.

Clarke waited for Lexa's return anxiously. She was on high alert for the sound of footsteps approaching, whether they be Lexa's or an angry Grounder's out for revenge.

Countless time passed when Bellamy and Kane suddenly burst into the room, both were spattered with blood.

Clarke flung herself at Bellamy. "Are you ok?" she asked in concern.

"We're fine," Bellamy assured her.

"There's no time for this," Lexa hissed. "Into the tunnel, now!"

"Thank you Lexa," Kane offered his hand to shake Lexa's before dropping down into the tunnel.

Bellamy let go of Clarke and nodded in respect to Lexa.

"It doesn't make up for what you did to us but it's a start," he acknowledged, following Kane into the tunnel.

"How did you get them out?" Clarke asked.

"It wasn't easy," Lexa responded. "I had to kill three of my men to do it."

"I'm sorry," Clarke told her, knowing that she had taken those lives for Clarke, more deaths to add to the growing pile of bodies in Clarke's consciousness.

"More will be lost soon," Lexa said cooly.

Clarke could not understand how Lexa could be so casual about death. How could she herself be attracted to someone who took lives so easily while Clarke was engulfed in grief for the lives that she had taken?

"Won't you get blamed for our escape?" Clarke asked, she did not want Lexa to get into trouble from her people, no doubt the punishment for helping prisoners escape was severe.

"I've already knocked out my guard," Lexa said. She withdrew a rock from her pocket. "I'll hit myself with this when you leave and make it look like you attacked me."

"But won't that make you look weak?" Clarke asked.

"You wiped out an entire species," Lexa said. "My people fear you. I doubt they will find it hard to believe that you managed to overthrow me. Now please Clarke, go!"

Clarke ducked down beside the entranceway to the passage, Lexa knelt down beside her ready to close the trapdoor.

Clarke gazed desperately at Lexa.

"I don't want to leave you," she admitted.

Lexa reached out a hand and slowly ran it down Clarke's cheek.

"Nor I you," she whispered.

Clarke's breath caught in her chest. Her eyes locked onto Lexa's and she found herself unable to look away from the intense green eyes full of lust staring back at her.

Lexa's finger hooked under Clarke's chin and she pulled her face towards her own. Clarke felt nervous as Lexa's face drew ever closer. Adrenaline was pumping through her, causing her full body to shake and her palms to sweat. Lexa's soft lips slowly landed on Clarke's. She kissed her slowly and cautiously, after all, the last time they had kissed Clarke had broken it off and Clarke had been firm on the fact recently that Lexa was not her favourite person at the moment. Despite this Clarke found herself aching for more and deepened the kiss. Lexa's arms snaked around Clarke's neck while Clarke's hands caressed Lexa's face.

After a few intense seconds Lexa pushed Clarke away. The two looked at each other, panting heavily.

"Be safe Clarke," Lexa said softly, shoving Clarke into the tunnel and quickly sealing the entrance.


	11. Chapter 11

**Agh sorry guys! This puppy has taken over my life! **

**...**

Clarke stumbled through the tunnel, hands outstretched to guide her way through the darkness. She could hear the sounds of Bellamy and Kane up ahead but so far there was no noise from behind. They weren't being followed, not yet anyway.

As she walked her head was consumed with just one thought – Lexa. It was wrong she acknowledged, to be thinking of Lexa when she should be trying to come up with a way to save her people but she could not help it. Lexa was like an addiction, dragging her deeper and deeper down into the depths of her being. The more time they spent together the more her infatuation with the other girl seemed to grow.

Her lips still tingled from their kiss. The hairs on the back of her neck still on edge from where Lexa's arms had engulfed her. There could be no more denying that there was chemistry between them. More than chemistry, the passion that had been present from the moment that their lips had touched…

Clarke couldn't help but smile at the memory. Her stomach was still bubbling with the excitement of her shared moment with Lexa, her head replaying the kiss over and over again.

She was interrupted from her daze by the appearance of light ahead. As she neared the end of the tunnel she could see finally see the outlines of Kane and Bellamy who were cautiously peering out at their surroundings.

"Slow and cautious or fast and careless?" Kane wondered.

"Fast and careless," both Clarke and Bellamy spoke at the same time as Clarke caught up to the pair.

"They may already be out looking for us," Clarke said wisely. "The only advantage we have is that they don't know that we used the tunnel. Hopefully they're looking elsewhere. Our only hope is to get ahead of them. They have keen ears and superior tracking skills, we'd never be able to hide from them. Even us going as quietly as we can they would still hear from a distance."

"Agreed. I say we make a run for it right now," Bellamy said.

"Fine," Kane nodded. "Lets go."

The three took off sprinting through the woods, making a racquet as their heavy feet bounced off the twigs and leaves on the ground. Every so often one would cast a glance over their shoulder for signs of Grounders chasing them.

It seemed to take an age to get back to the familiar surroundings of Camp Jaha. Their pace became slower the further they travelled as their bodies began to tire. They found themselves having to stop more and more often to rest. Their paranoia that they were being followed only seemed to increase as they widened the distance between themselves and the Grounders village. The only thing that Clarke could think of was that Lexa had somehow managed to divert the attention of her people on to something else to allow them to escape.

There had been no time to stop and fully explain to Bellamy and Kane what had occurred at Ton DC and she was unclear how much Lexa had managed to tell them. Explanations would have to wait until they were safely inside the Camp. She would only have to repeat herself anyway to the Chancellor. Clarke realised with a pang that she had not spared a thought for her mother the whole time that she had been away. Too busy caught up in her own suffering and in thinking about Lexa. Her and her mother may not always see eye to eye but they were still the only family that the other had. Clarke had always prided herself on being a kind and caring person but perhaps that was not the case? She had changed drastically since her arrival on earth. Her strong survival instincts had taken over and washed away the softer side of her. She was no longer the same person. If she was she would never have been able to pull that lever.

With great relief they reached the gates to Camp Jaha and were promptly admitted through.

"Where's the Chancellor?" Kane demanded. "We need to see her now!"

One of the guards on duty beckoned them to follow him inside, he led them though the maze of corridors to the Chancellor's headquarters.

Abby was in the room alone reading intently though a report on the desk in front of her. She looked up as they entered the room and a wave of relief washed over her tense face.

"Thank goodness!" she cried, rushing over to Clarke and wrapping her arms around her.

Clarke had not anticipated the wave of emotions that she would feel upon being back in her mother's arms once more – relief, calmness, a sense of safety. Perhaps she had been going about her grief all along? If anyone was able to help her through her emotional turmoil then it was Abby. Her mother may not have forgiven her decision to let the missile hit Ton DC but surely she had understood her choice at the Mountain? There had been no time for the two to talk things through. Abby had needed medical attention and Clarke had immediately barricaded herself in her room after their return then had been forced to leave to go to the Grounders. She would need to find some time to talk after they had resolved their fight with the Grounders. _The Grounders. _Clarke suddenly remembered their urgency.

"Mum!" she pushed her mother gently away. "We need to talk right away."

Abby's face clouded over. "What happened?" she asked. "I was getting worried, you've been gone for days with no word."

Clarke couldn't help but notice the grayish tinge that lingered on her mother's face, the dark circles under her eyes and the way she was gripping on the table to stay upright.

"Here sit down," she said quickly, placing a chair underneath her.

Once her mother was safely seated Clarke began. "We failed mother," she told her. "We tried, believe me but Lexa-"

"Don't mention the traitor's name," Abby interrupted angrily.

"It's not her fault mum, she -" Clarke spoke up defensively, her mother's words sparking an unknown sense of rage within her. Lexa was a traitor, she had said it herself many times so why was she now desperate to prove otherwise?

"You're on her side now?" Abby snapped.

"No of course not," Clarke retorted. "What she did was wrong and I haven't forgiven her for it but she was trying her best for us and our peace treaty, she really was. She's the only reason the three of us made it back here safely."

Her words seemed to appease her mother for the moment.

"Not all of the Grounder's are happy with her decision to retreat from battle. They're starting to turn against her. The individual clans are starting to fight each other. She's struggling to regain control."

"Good," Abby retorted. "She doesn't deserve to be their leader."

"She's a much better leader than some of her people would be," Clarke once more defended Lexa. "We would all be dead right now if the likes of Indra were in charge. You think she would have joined forces with us against the Mountain? She was always opposed to our alliance."

"It's true," Kane piped up. "Lexa is smart, she listens, she's fair and takes time to do the right thing rather than turning to violence like most of her people would. I hate to say it but we owe her a lot."

"Enough about her," Abby waved her hand dismissively. "What about us?"

"Right," Clarke shook her head to void her thoughts of Lexa. "As I was saying the Grounders are getting restless and the Commander thinks that the only way to appease them is to give them what they want – war. Which unfortunately is aimed at us. She was doing her best to keep us out of it but a fight broke out in the forest between some of our people and some of theirs. There were deaths on both sides but the Grounder's are furious about it. Lexa is unable or unwilling to hold them off. They're coming for us."

Abby looked alarmed. "I've seen the power she holds over her people. She's lying if she says she can't stop this from happening. She clearly wants this war to go ahead."

"That's not true!" Clarke burst out.

"They've sought war with us since the day we sent you 100 down here. She may have delayed it but she was always going to want to come after us at one point."

"No it's not like that," Clarke said desperately. "Trust me, she wants this even less than we do. She doesn't want to hurt us!" _To hurt me._ Clarke was keen for her mother to understand Lexa as she did. It was somehow important for her to gain some sort of approval.

"I know you two got close over the last few weeks but she's not like us Clarke," Abby said gently.

"But she is," Clarke responded, she was close to tears. Why was this upsetting her so much? "You don't know her like I do. She doesn't want to be our enemy. She- I- Lexa and I…" Clarke faltered. What was she going to say? That they had feelings for each other? Had shared two kisses? That they were inexplicably bound to each other? She still needed time to process her feelings and now was not the time for that, until she knew for certain her position with Lexa it was best to stay quiet.

"Regardless," Abby interrupted. "The Grounders have declared war and we must decide what we are to do. There is much to discuss."


	12. Chapter 12

...

"We have a few options open to us," Abby commanded the room full of Councillors. She had gathered them immediately upon finding out that they were under attack. "The first option is of course to stay and fight, we were prepared to do it before so why not now? Their numbers may be greater than ours but they don't have our advanced technology, weapons and knowledge. Secondly, as before we could pack our things and leave. There is of course the risk of them still coming after us and we have no idea what is out there. There could be dangers far worse than the Grounders in this world. Thirdly, we could try and bargain with them, there must be something that we have to offer them in exchange for peace but of course if we can't think of anything then they would no doubt come after us anyway. We do not have much time to decide, the Grounders could strike at any moment. I open the floor up to your comments and suggestions," Abby said graciously.

Clarke sat staring unseeingly in front of her as the Councillors began to argue amongst themselves. She wondered whether Lexa was right now in the middle of a meeting with her own Councillors or perhaps she was already marching towards them. They could be creeping up on Camp Jaha right now under the cover of the trees. She shivered. She hated having to once more think of Lexa as the enemy. Was Lexa feeling just as torn as she was at this moment? Was she like Clarke still trying to desperately think of a way out of this mess? Or had she once more donned her Commander mask and forsaken her own feelings? Despite having rescued Bellamy and Kane and ensuring that they all escaped from the Grounders Village Clarke still did not know whether she could truly trust Lexa. The kiss could have been her way of distracting Clarke, tearing down her emotional barriers. No, Clarke shook her head, not even Lexa was that good at feigning the kind of passion that she had kissed Clarke with. Or was she? If it was some kind of plan then it was working. Here she was in the middle of a crucial council meeting and she was daydreaming instead of focusing on the issue at hand.

Clarke forced herself to examine each of the options that her mother had presented to the group, the same options that she herself had come up with yet she was not keen to back any of them. To stay and fight seemed like the most likely choice. Their camp was easily defendable, they had plenty of weapons, there might even be time for Raven to come up with a few extra precautions as she had done many times in the past. The Grounders army was huge however, would they really be able to win? If they did it would not be without heavy losses. Plus she would be forced to go head to head with Lexa, something she was keen to avoid. What if something happened to Lexa on the battlefield? It would hurt her personally but also professionally. Lexa was the more lenient of her kind, the thought of any other Grounder in charge terrified Clarke. There was no way of telling what would happen to the Sky Crew then.

The second option of running away was not an option for Clarke. Back when it was just the 100 on the ground and the Grounders were coming after them she had felt that leaving was their best chance of survival. Things had changed now. They had more people for a start, more resources, a stronger structure to defend themselves from. Plus they were far more knowledgeable about the Grounders, back then they had known very little. They also had no idea what lay beyond the boundaries of the forest. Camp Jaha was their home, they had their routine, had grown comfortable, knew the lay of the land, they would be stupid to give that up for the unknown. There was the possibility that better fortune awaited them out there but they had no way of knowing. There had been no word from Jaha or Murphy since they had left, for all they knew they could be dead. They could be leading their people away from war only to have them killed off by lack of food, water or shelter, or to be slaughtered by some unknown creatures or other humans. The Earth had changed in the many years that they had been away from it, living in Space.

Clarke had already considered the third option many times. From that first peace talk with Lexa just a few days before she had been trying to come up with a bargaining chip but had so far failed in her mission. Lexa had rejected their offer of weapons and medicine, what else did they have to offer? Of all the options this was the one that she would pick, if only someone could think of something that they had that could be of value to the Grounders.

Perhaps it was for the best. If the Grounders were as mad at their Commander as she had let on then the idea of peace with the Sky Crew would not be well received. It may pacify them temporarily but it was unlikely to be a permanent solution.

Clarke sighed in frustration as she tuned back into the meeting.

"There is another option," Kane piped up hesitantly.

A wave of hope washed over Clarke as she looked at him expectantly. His concerned glance at her in return caused this wave to recede.

"Go on Marcus," Abby urged him.

"We could head to Mount Weather," Kane said quickly.

A chill crept over Clarke at the mention of the place that had torn away a piece of her very being.

"How can you even suggest that?" Bellamy asked angrily, sparing a quick empathetic look at Clarke.

Clarke gave a start, she had forgotten that he had been given privileges to sit in on the meeting since he had been part of the group that had travelled to Ton DC for the peace talks.

"Because I'm thinking logically," Kane said coldly. "Think how long it took us to figure out a way to get in there. If we moved everyone up there and sealed the doors the Grounders would never get in. They would have never have gotten as far as they did without our help in the first place."

"You can't expect us to seek refuge in the very place that we fought for so long! The place responsible for killing many of our people and torturing however many more, including our own Chancellor!" Bellamy shouted.

"It wasn't the Mountain that did those deeds but the people inside the Mountain," Abby said. "And they are no longer a threat."

Clarke broke out in a cold sweat, her hands trembled as her breath came in gasps. It was bad enough that she had to return to that dreaded place every night in her dreams and even in her waking hours but to be forced to return there physically? The idea made her feel sick.

"No!" she choked.

Bellamy gripped her hands tightly.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "If that's what they decide to do then we don't need to go. I'll stay with you, we can run away either just the two of us or maybe some of our friends would join us too. I doubt that Monty and Jasper would be keen to return to their Mountain prison."

Clarke was comforted by his words but was not keen on the idea of separating from their people, if it came to it though she would rather brave it out in the world alone than go back to Mount Weather. There had to be some other way.

"The Grounders could already be on their way," Bellamy said. "By the time you got everyone here ready to leave and started off on the long trek to the Mountain they could be upon us. It's a ten hour walk for fit adults, we'd have children, ill people, older people. We'd never make it there before the Grounders caught wind of what we were doing. I'd bet that their scouts are already out there, watching our every move."

"But if we did make it there then we'd be set for life," Kane replied. "It's the most secure place we've come across on the ground not to mention all of the supplies that are stored in there."

"So we'd just spend the rest of our lives trapped underground?" Bellamy snapped. "We came to earth to feel the wind on our faces and the grass on her feet not to be once more forced to live indoors."

"No son, we came to earth to survive," Kane said.

"The Earth is our home," Clarke finally found her voice. "We should not be forced to give that up without a fight! Do you really want to live the same way as the Mountain Men? Once we went to the Mountain we'd be there for good. The Grounders aren't going to forget about our quarrel in a few weeks and move on. We'd be stuck in that awful place the rest of our lives. As soon as we emerged the Grounders would attack us. They would have guards watching us at all times. I'm sorry Kane, but your plan would not work."

A chorus of noise erupted after Clarke's speech, with each person trying to express their opinions.

"Enough," Abby snapped. "We have taken up too much time already. There have been several good ideas brought to the table but ultimately as Chancellor the decision rests with me."

Clarke waited with baited breath to see what her mother would say next. Without meaning to she squeezed Bellamy's hands tightly.

"...This is our home now so I have decided that we shall stay and fight," Abby announced. "These Grounders don't get to betray us and then force us out of our own home. If a war is what they want, then that is what they shall get."

...


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry, it's a bit longer than I normally make my chapters but where I was going to cut it just felt like it would make for a boring first chapter!**

...

Clarke stood inside the entrance to Camp Jaha staring out at the surrounding forest. Her body was tense, ready to react at a moments notice.

It had been nearly two full days and there had been no sign of the impending Grounder's attack. The waiting was starting to have an impact on even the strongest of the soldiers. Everyone felt too anxious to eat, too scared to sleep and too on edge to talk much amongst themselves.

They had taken advantage of the additional time to take extra precautions against the Grounders – reinforcing the camp's defences, practising with weapons and building explosives. Now all that was needed was the Grounders themselves.

"Where are they?" Clarke asked Bellamy for the hundredth time.

Bellamy sighed in frustration, "I didn't know last time and I still don't know Clarke."

The tension within the camp was affecting them all.

"It's not like the Grounders to bide their time like this, they're more the strike first, ask questions later," Clarke mused.

"Perhaps they're waiting for us to starve to death," Bellamy said drily. "Which we will do soon if we can't send people out to hunt."

"Maybe," Clarke replied. "Or they're trying to scare us into running so that they can attack us outside the camp? Or waiting for us to turn on each other as the tension continues to rise. Whatever they're doing, I don't like it."

"None of us like it Clarke, but what can we do? It's too risky to send out a scout party. We'll just have to wait it out and hope that they strike soon," Bellamy told her.

"But we don't even know if they are out there!" Clarke responded. "There's been no sightings of them, no messages from them, nothing! For all we know they're still back at their Village. We need answers and I think I know how to get them!"

"No!" Bellamy cried. "I know you were once friendly with the Commander Clarke but those times are over, they're the enemy now. You can't just waltz up to the opposing side and assume that they'll let you return like they did once before. Our relationship with the Grounders is completely different now."

_It sure is_, Clarke thought. As much as she was worried for herself and her people she was also concerned about Lexa. It had seemed at the time like they would be retaliating for the deaths of their people straight away. Lexa had made it sound like she would not be able to hold them off for long so why had two days now gone by? Had her people already turned on Lexa? Were they too busy fighting amongst themselves to come after the Sky People? The unknown was ebbing away at Clarke, she couldn't go much longer without finding out what was happening.

"We need to know what is happening out there, it's the only way. I have to do this," Clarke said stubbornly.

"Clarke, please," Bellamy gripped her wrist. "Just be patient a little bit longer," he pleaded.

Clarke placed her other hand on top of Bellamy's. "I'm sorry Bellamy but my mind is made up."

"Then I'll come with you," Bellamy volunteered.

A part of Clarke was sorely tempted by his offer. The thought of approaching the enemy alone was a daunting prospect, it would feel more secure having someone accompany her, especially if that someone was Bellamy.

"No," she said reluctantly. "I have to do this alone. Bringing along anyone else could be seen as threatening. Thank you though, for the offer," she smiled softly.

Bellamy shook his head, "I know better than to try and talk you out of doing something once you've made up your mind but just so you know, I think it's a bad idea."

"Thank you," Clarke whispered. She quickly pecked Bellamy on the cheek before turning to the guard and ordering the gate to be opened.

The guard looked uneasy and made no move to open the gate.

"I can't open it without the Chancellors permission."

"I'm the Chancellors daughter," Clarke stated. "She's far too busy to be interrupted for something as trivial as this so just open the gate and let me through," she glared at the guard who reluctantly obeyed.

Once outwith the protection of the camp Clarke's nerves took over. Her legs shook as she made her way unsteadily towards the forest. She prayed that the Grounder's would not shoot on site.

Her brain whirred as she walked. She hadn't exactly come up with a plan past exiting the camp and tracking down the Grounders. There were several paths that her situation could take. One – she could be killed before making it to the trees. Two – she could be captured then killed. Three – she could be captured and taken to the Commander. Four- she might not find any Grounders and be forced to trek all the way to Ton DC.

Clarke made it to a few metres away from the trees before a trio of arrows were shot simultaneously, all landing mere inches away from her. She jumped back in surprise and quickly threw her hands up.

"I'm unarmed," she called out. "I just want to-"

_Now was the time to come up with a plan_ she told herself fiercely. Perhaps she should have thought this through a bit more before leaving the safety of the camp.

"I wish to see your Commander," she eventually said.

One of the shooters dropped to the ground, still aiming his bow at Clarke.

"I just want to talk to her," Clarke assured him. "Leader to leader. Surely you're as sick of war as we are," she tried to persuade him.

"We live for war," the Grounder replied gruffly.

Clarke gulped. "Ok, fine," she said uneasily. "I still want to talk to your Commander. Take me to her," she demanded.

The Grounder looked her up and down, silently.

"You'll have to be blindfolded," he eventually replied.

Clarke glared at him, "Is that really necessary?" she asked.

"It is if you want to be taken to the Commander."

"Alright," Clarke admitted defeat grudgingly.

The Grounder slowly lowered his bow and keeping his eyes trained on Clarke he tore a strip of fabric from his top and roughly bound it around her eyes. Once secure he gripped her by the arm and none too carefully began to pull her along.

Clarke needed to be focused on keeping her footing as they walked but she allowed herself a moment to celebrate in the fact that Lexa was still alive and that she would soon see her. Unless there was a new Commander she suddenly thought. After all neither of them had mentioned Lexa by name. The anxious feeling that had been in the pit of her stomach as she had worried about Lexa quickly returned.

There was nothing that she could do except wait to arrive at their destination, then she would find out the truth, whatever that may be.

She tried to roughly judge where they were travelling to but quickly became disorientated. All sense of time and distance were lost to her.

After a while she started to hear a rabble of voices and lots of movement. They halted briefly while her guide conversed with someone then they quickly took off. The environment around her seemed to grow louder as they made their way deeper into wherever it was that they were.

A short time later they stopped again, there was words exchanged between her guide and another Grounder then she was roughly pushed.

Her legs gave way underneath her as she went crashing heavily to the ground. She moaned in pain as she desperately tore the blindfold from her face.

Her eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the light, she blinked several times and looked up to find Lexa standing over her.

Immense relief washed over her as she scrambled to her feet.

"Oh thank goodness!" she conveyed her relief.

"What are you doing here Clarke?" Lexa hissed. "We're enemies! You can't just come and go as you please when we're in the middle of a war!"

Clarke was slightly put off by Lexa's lack of enthusiasm for seeing someone that she claimed to care for. The last time they had been together they had shared their second kiss yet here was Lexa looking murderous.

"Are we at war though?" Clarke responded. "It's been days Lexa! What kind of game are you playing with us?"

"I can't reveal my battle strategy to the enemy," Lexa retorted.

Clarke felt like she had been slapped in the face.

"Are we really enemies Lexa?" she asked.

Lexa's face remained impassive as she considered her response.

"We're on enemy sides," she said carefully.

"But you let us escape a few days ago, why?" Clarke asked.

Once more Lexa was proving to be a complex puzzle. Every time she felt that she was getting somewhere with her they seemed to take a step backwards.

"Because your lives were in danger," Lexa said simply. "I did not want you to die."

"But you're happy for me to die now in battle?" Clarke asked.

Lexa's eyes darted to the side, "We're all in danger now," she said quietly.

"If you ever actually make the trip to our camp," Clarke retorted.

"Why are you so keen for us to attack? I thought you were against war?" Lexa asked quizzically.

"I am," Clarke replied. "But the waiting is driving me crazy!" Clarke admitted.

Lexa smirked.

"That was part of your plan?" Clarke asked quickly.

Lexa's smirk fell away. "Perhaps. Now what are you doing here Clarke?"

"I'm here to ask you once more to please reconsider this war," Clarke pleaded. "We've both lost enough people already."

"I thought I had made myself clear?" she responded. "My position has not changed. The alliance between the Clans is barely holding. My own position as Commander is balanced on a knife edge. My people need this fight."

"But what about us?" Clarke asked.

"What has occurred between you and I has nothing to do with this," Lexa said plainly. "It's survival."

"You may be able to switch your feelings on and off when you please but I can't!" Clarke retorted. "You can't kiss me one moment then treat me like one of the opposition the next!"

"Why not?" Lexa arched an eyebrow.

"Because… Argh!" Clarke yelled in frustration.

Lexa took a step closer to Clarke.

"I'm not here to talk about us," Clarke said firmly. "I'm here to talk about this stupid war between our people."

"But according to you, our feelings for each other and our need to protect our people are all connected," Lexa said, taking another step towards Clarke.

"Yes, but-" Clarke was finding it hard to think due to the close proximity of Lexa. She could smell her earthy scent, feel her breath upon her cheek.

"I-" Clarke started but found her brain going fuzzy.

Lexa's finger traced Clarke's lips. "Go on," she whispered to the other girl.

Clarke longed to give in to temptation but she had her people to think about. She let herself have a few seconds of weakness before stepping away from Lexa.

"Stay away from me," she spat. "While our people are at war nothing can happen between us."

"As you wish," Lexa said smoothly.

Clarke felt a slight wave of disappointment. She had hoped that Lexa may have contested her decision.

"Good," Clarke said gruffly. "Now that's settled lets get back to why I came here."

"You came to convince me to call off my people and I have already told you that I won't, so what now?" Lexa asked curiously.

"I could beg you, appeal to your heart but I doubt that would work," Clarke said bitterly.

"You're right," Lexa agreed, "You'd just be wasting both of our time."

"I could ask you to do it for me," Clarke said hesitantly. "Exploit your feelings."

Lexa allowed herself to look saddened. "You know I would if I could Clarke. I would do many things for you but this is not one of them."

Clarke sighed, she was running out of ideas.

"I could threaten you?"

Lexa looked amused. "With?" she asked.

"I don't know," Clarke admitted. "We could fight? I fought against Anya you know."

"We train as Warriors from birth, you wouldn't stand a chance and I wouldn't want to hurt you," Lexa replied.

"Then what can I do Lexa?" Clarke asked desperately.

"Nothing… I'm sorry Clarke but nothing that you say or do can make me turn back now, You already knew this before you decided to risk your life by coming here. It was reckless and a waste of time."

"It wasn't a complete waste of time," Clarke admitted. "I got to see that you are alive and well."

She looked into Lexa's eyes and found her body being pulled towards the other girl by some unexplainable force. They continued to stare at each other as Clarke rested her forehead against Lexa's. Their hands found each other at the same time as their lips did.

Clarke planted a long lingering kiss on Lexa's lips before pulling away.

"Now when do you plan to attack?" she asked quickly.

"Nice try," Lexa panted, her chest rising and falling heavily.

"Please Lexa, we're going to run out of food at some point," Clarke pleaded.

"That's the idea," Lexa said drily. "To weaken the battlefield. Effective, although not as effective as a virus and a lot more time consuming."

Clarke shuddered at the memory of the horror of the virus that the Grounders had infected them with in the past. Having spent so much time with Lexa in recent times she had forgotten how savage the Grounders could be.

"My people are starting to get bored of waiting, we will be striking soon. I suggest that you get back to your own people Clarke, before it is too late."

...


	14. Chapter 14

**Another longer chapter, once I start writing these days I don't seem able to stop! **

**...**

The return trip to Camp Jaha was much the same as her original journey. Clarke was once more blindfolded and roughly dragged through the forest. At the edge of the tree line the blindfold was ripped from her eyes, she spun around to acknowledge the Grounder who had helped her but he had already melted into the surrounding forest.

Knowing that other Grounders were likely to be above her in the trees right now, watching her, she quickly took off across the open ground towards the Camp.

Bellamy was there to greet her as she neared the gate.

"Thank god," he sighed.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about," Clarke teased him.

"Apart from your mother," Bellamy warned her. "I covered for you as long as I could but someone that saw you leave the camp must have told her."

Clarke dismissed his words with a wave of her hand. "There's more important things happening than my mother being angry with me," she said.

"So did you find them?" Bellamy asked.

Before she could answer Kane came running up to them.

"Clarke! You're safe! Your mother's been worried sick about you. What were you thinking going off alone like that?"

"We needed answers Kane and no one else seemed to be coming up with any ways to get them," Clarke replied.

"So did you get any?" Kane asked.

"They plan to attack soon," Clarke confirmed. "They have a camp not far from here, they're biding their time, trying to weaken us in mind and body before they strike. They have scouts surrounding us, there's no way out."

"So they still plan to attack?" Kane asked.

"Yes," Clarke said sadly. "I did my best, tried everything I could think of to dissuade Lexa but I failed."

"It's not your fault," Bellamy said. "Grounders are Grounders. They're savage through and through."

"Not all of them," Clarke said softly.

"I must go and find Abby," Kane said urgently. "You should come too, let her see that you're ok."

Clarke shook her head stubbornly. "They could arrive at any moment. I'm staying right here. If she wants to see me, you can tell her where to find me."

Kane did not attempt to argue. He threw Clarke an exasperated glance before turning on his heels and heading inside.

...

Clarke and Bellamy spent the last few remaining hours of daylight standing by the gate, eyes glued to the forest for signs of movement. For the most part they stood in silence. It had been an uneventful time apart from when a wild deer had bolted out from the trees and caused some of the more anxious guards to send off a round of bullets. After the initial wave of panic the camp had slowly fallen back into its previous quiet solemnity.

...

When night fell it was time for a change of guards. Clarke and Bellamy reluctantly agreed to take an hour to rest. Neither would go inside however to their sleeping chambers. Instead they grabbed blankets and propped themselves up against the wall of the Ark so that they were still near the front line.

They huddled together for warmth and Clarke allowed herself to slowly start to relax as she leaned against Bellamy's strong frame. Her eyes drifted close but her brain remained active for several more minutes.

...

Sleep must have eventually found her for the next second she was awoken by the sounds of gunfire.

The camp was in chaos, people were running around terrified, guns were being fired at random and women were screaming.

"They're here," Bellamy said grimly.

Fear gripped at Clarke as she reached down to check that her gun was still on her person.

"It's not like we've not been expecting them," she replied, her voice shaking slightly. "We need to get this lot under control."

The two started forward but didn't make it more than a few steps when Abby, Kane and a handful of guards came racing out of the Ark.

"Quiet!" Kane roared, firing bullets up into the sky.

Abby waited until the camp was relatively settled before speaking.

"The time has come to defend our home," she called out. "We've been preparing for this for days now. In fact we've been preparing for this battle since the moment we landed here on Earth. The Grounders may think that this place just belongs to them but they are wrong. We may have lived in space for nearly 100 years but we have just as much a right as the Grounders to call Earth our home. Both our races survived the war under different circumstances but we both belong here on Earth! It's time to show these people that we are not afraid of them! That we cannot be intimidated by them! That we are ready to fight for our rights!"

Clarke was genuinely taken in my her mothers speech and all around her she could see that her words were having an effect on the majority of their people.

Slowly the looks on peoples faces turned from fear to determination. They were ready to do what was needed to survive.

A chorus of cheers erupted for which Clarke was quick to join in with.

Abby allowed them a few seconds before silencing them.

"You all know the plan. You know where you should be and what you should be doing. Now get to it!" Abby yelled.

Another wave of cheering began as the people began to disperse to their assigned positions.

All those that were able to fight were either positioned along the fence or just inside the Ark. Those that were incapable of fighting were to be sealed in the rear section of the Ark.

"Clarke!" Abby reached out of the crowd and grabbed her daughter. "Be careful," she hugged her tightly. "Try not to do anything reckless."

"You too," Clarke responded, gripping her mother just as tightly.

Abby slowly let go of her daughter, gave her one last wavering glance before turning away and marching off.

Clarke took her position beside Bellamy at the fence.

"Don't worry, you'll see her again," Bellamy said gently.

"I know," Clarke sighed. "Where's Octavia?"

"She's safe, she's with Lincoln. They're positioned at the other side of the camp," Bellamy informed her.

"Good," Clarke acknowledged before turning her attention to the trees in the distance.

It was incredibly dark outside the boundary of the camp but the full moon illuminated the shadowy figures of the Grounders at the edge of the tree line. The Grounders did not seem to need torches as they began to slowly creep towards the camp.

"Hold your fire!" Bellamy roared as eager people began to shoot. "Wait until you can actually see them before you shoot. You're just wasting bullets!"

The firing abruptly stopped. Clarke raised her own gun and aimed it out into the darkness.

"Why are they going so slowly? Why not just charge?" Clarke wondered aloud.

"Maybe they saw us setting the traps," Bellamy replied. "The darkness is going to make it difficult for Raven to know when to set them off."

"She won't let us down," Clarke said, trying to convey a feeling of confidence despite actually feeling terrified.

The fact that beyond their camp was almost total darkness so they couldn't see their foes approaching made the whole situation a lot more frightening.

She wondered where Lexa was. Would she be at the back of crowd to command from a distance or was she one of the ones creeping towards them right now? Clarke prayed it was the first but knowing Lexa she knew she'd be right in the midst of her people. She was not one to shy away from anything. Clarke just prayed that when Raven's explosions went off that Lexa was nowhere near them.

It had been a hard decision for Clarke not to warn Lexa about their traps but she knew that Lexa would not keep the information to herself and would use it to her own people's advantage so Clarke had forced herself to remain quiet for the good of her people once more.

The Grounders had reached close enough to the camp for the Sky People to be able to see them at last. They remained quiet as they formed a line and drew their arrows.

"Come on Raven," Clarke muttered at the same time as Bellamy and the other section leaders yelled: "Fire!"

The air was filled with the sounds of bullets.

Seconds later several loud bangs erupted and the open area in front of the camp was engulfed with orange flames. Screams of terror and pain emitted from the Grounders side causing Clarke to grimace. It took her back to that fateful night in Ton DC when the missile had struck.

"Clarke!"

She was roused from her thoughts by Bellamy.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, took aim and began firing at the Grounders.

The explosions would have taken out a few of the Grounders but the Sky People were still severely outnumbered. Luckily they still had a few tricks up their sleeve if things turned desperate.

Arrows and spears began to whiz through the air, landing with alarming accuracy. Already there were several casualties on their side.

They continued to fight on with the Grounders inching closer and closer to the gate.

"They'll be on us soon!" Bellamy yelled.

"Raven knows what to do when they reach the fence," Clarke replied. "We have to keep them back for as long as we can."

The more time that passed the more Clarke began to fear for Lexa having not caught sight of her. Would the Grounders keep fighting if their leader fell? She did know. It was the only bit of hope that she had though so she tried to convince herself that Lexa was alive and barking orders somewhere out there in the darkness.

...

As the fighting wore on a disturbance broke out amongst the Grounders. Clarke was only aware of it because she was so intent on catching a glimpse of Lexa amongst her people.

Shouting and jeering erupted from the back of the Grounder army. It was difficult to see past the mass of people but it looked to Clarke like some of the Grounders in the middle of the group were turning around to face away from the camp.

Were they retreating? Clarke's heart filled with childish hope. Of course they weren't retreating she told herself. They were Grounders and their leader was Lexa.

"Bellamy what's happening up the back?" she asked him.

"I'm a bit preoccupied with what's happening down the front," he retorted, firing a round of bullets.

"Seriously Bellamy, by the fire right at the side of the forest," she insisted.

Bellamy who was taller than her was able to see above the fighting.

"It looks like they're fighting amongst themselves," he said in disbelief.

"They can't be," Clarke breathed.

"I can only see the ones right at the edge of the fire, the rest are just shadows in this darkness but they're definitely fighting," Bellamy confirmed.

The Grounders at the front of the line seemed unaware of what was happening further back so were fighting on with menace.

Clarke ducked down to reload her gun and to take a moment to process what was happening.

If the Grounders were fighting each other then it could only mean one thing – one or more of the clans had revolted and turned against Lexa. What did this mean for Lexa? Would she be able to fight a battle on two fronts?

Clarke corrected herself. What did this mean for her and her people? The Grounders under Lexa's control were the enemy and their enemy was now the rebel clans but that did not make these rival clans friendly to the Sky People.

Clarke was desperately trying to seek a solution. If Lexa was defeated by the combined force of the Sky crew and the rival clans would these clans then turn on the Sky People? It seemed likely given the fact that they had turned on their own people. Perhaps the Sky People would be able to retreat inside the Ark and allow the Grounders to fight it out but then who would be victorious and what would then happen to her own people? They could join up with Lexa, work together to defeat these clans then come to some sort of peace agreement once and for all? It seemed the safest option, she would much rather that Lexa's clans remain than these rebel ones. But would her people trust Lexa again? Could she trust Lexa again?

Maybe for once she should do nothing and just see how the battle progressed. After all she did not have a clear picture of what was happening. They had taken down a lot of Grounders but more kept materialising out of the darkness to take their place. She had no idea the total number of their army or how many was on each side of the rival clans. The Sky People's numbers were falling drastically but so far they had managed to keep the Grounders from breaching their camp.

She reloaded her gun, jumped back up and began firing. The only thing she could do right now was fight on.


	15. Chapter 15

**Well that's us finally reached the last chapter! **

**...**

"Bellamy we have to do something!" Clarke yelled above the noise of the battle.

She had no idea how much time had elapsed since they had started fighting but her people were starting to tire, yet the Grounders just seemed to gain more energy as time went on.

A group of Grounders hidden underneath shields had reached the gates of the Camp and were attempting to ram it down.

All across the fence line she could see that Grounders had broken free and were attempting to get through.

"We wait for Raven, that was the plan," Bellamy shouted back.

"Yeah well plans change in battle," Clarke replied grimly. "We can't afford to wait for Raven any longer. I say we round up some men and head to the gate."

"Fine," Bellamy nodded.

He quickly barked out orders to the men under his command and the small group headed towards the gate.

"We keep them out at all costs," Clarke instructed.

Her words were no sooner out of her mouth however when there was a great crashing noise as the gate dropped to the ground.

The Grounders started to stream into the Sky Peoples Camp.

"To the gate!" Bellamy yelled.

Clarke tried to aim her gun but there was so many coming towards them at great speed that she didn't know where to shoot first.

They hadn't counted on the Grounders breaching the camp so soon.

Looking around at her people she came to the conclusion that they were in trouble.

They could not win this fight.

With the Grounders entering their camp it allowed her to get a better view of the open area in front of them. A noticeable gap had formed between the Grounders pouring into the camp and the ones back towards the forest. She could now see for definite that there was fighting going on amongst the Grounders.

One side was definitely outnumbering the other. The question was which side was Lexa on?

"Bellamy I have to go to Lexa," she said suddenly.

"Are you crazy?!" Bellamy yelled.

"Look around you! We're outnumbered! Our only hope is to try and make some sort of deal with the losing side out there," she pointed out the Grounders battling viciously in the field.

"But how do you know which side is Lexa's?" Bellamy asked.

"I don't," she replied. "I'm just praying that she's on the losing side and so will be willing to make a deal with us. If not then I'll speak to whoever is in charge of the rebellion and see if we can come to some sort of arrangement."

"That's stupid," Bellamy breathed.

"It's necessary," Clarke said firmly.

"If you must go then I'll come with you," Bellamy said.

"No," Clarke said gruffly. "It's going to be hard enough for just the one of us to make it across the battlefield. Besides, you and Lexa aren't exactly friendly are you?"

Bellamy had the sense not to argue with Clarke's determined nature. Instead he kissed her softly on the forehead.

"May we meet again," he said quietly.

"May we meet again," Clarke replied.

She ducked down and ran towards the body of a Grounder lying nearby. She quickly tore off their furs and wrapped them around herself, picked up his sword then made for a piece of fence near the far end of the camp that the Grounders had started to tear down before they had gained access through the main gate.

Clarke darted through the Grounders, keeping her head down and praying that she wouldn't be recognised by one of them or hit by a bullet from her own side. Luckily the Grounders were too intent on reaching the Sky People's camp to pay much attention to her running in the opposite direction to them and her own people's gun fire was now concentrated on the Grounders that had broken into the camp.

At the back of her mind she was aware of the fact that Raven and Wick had been building more explosive devices to be catapulted into the Grounders side but since Raven had failed to deliver on her plan to prevent the gate from being torn down Clarke was not overly concerned. If anything she was concerned about Raven herself and what could have happened to her to prevent her from carrying out her plan. The other girl had never let them down before.

As she neared the warring Grounders she slowed down and gripped the sword that she had swiped from the dead Grounder, her other hand rested in the pocket of the furs where she had stashed her gun.

Clarke attempted to scoot around the perimeter of the large group. A burly male Grounder broke off from the main fight and charged towards her. She slashed her sword at him with all her might, aiming for the side of his neck. She grimaced as her sword surprisingly met its target.

She continued on with an increasing desperation to seek out Lexa.

As she looked at the blur of the faces, one of them made eye contact. She braced herself for being charged but instead the Grounder's sword arm dropped and he came jogging over to her.

"Clarke of the Sky People, what are you doing out here?" he asked.

Clarke took a closer look at him and realised with a start that it was Nyko. She had failed to recognise him due to the dried blood caked on his face.

"Nyko! Shouldn't you be taking a back seat as the healer? Your role comes afterwards," Clarke said confused.

"I was observing the battle from the edge of the forest when the Commander was betrayed. I couldn't stand by and do nothing," Nyko said gruffly.

"Where is the Commander?" Clarke asked desperately. "Is she alive?"

"She's here somewhere, fighting alongside us," Nyko said proudly.

"Take me to her. We need to talk," Clarke ordered.

"We're in the middle of two wars Sky girl. The Commander does not have time to chat, especially not to the enemy."

"Tell me one thing, Is your side winning?" Clarke asked.

Nyko sighed dejectedly. "The Ice Nation are great Warriors and they have convinced several other clans to join them. Most of our side are out fighting your people, we're outnumbered."

"That's exactly why I want to talk to your Commander," Clarke explained. "Neither of us can win this fight alone but together we stand a chance."

Nyko considered her carefully. "Only because I can't see us winning this battle and I don't want our people to be wiped out." He grabbed her hand and began weaving through the fighting, cutting down enemy Grounders as he went.

They found Lexa surrounded by her Generals fighting furiously.

Clarke took a moment to admire Lexa's speed and grace as her sword flew through the air demonstrating the fury that was edged on her face. Fury that quickly turned to shock when she clocked eyes on Clarke.

"What are you doing here?" she spat.

Clarke's relief at seeing Lexa alive and well was short lived as she immediately jumped to being defensive at Lexa's tone.

"I'm here to save both of our people," Clarke retorted. "Unless you think you're managing fine on your own."

These angry greetings from Lexa were beginning to be a habit and not one that she wished to get accustomed to.

Lexa beckoned Clarke towards her and ordered her Generals to form a protective circle around them.

"In case you'd forgotten, you're one of the people that we're fighting," Lexa said coldly.

"Oh I hadn't forgotten," Clarke replied smoothly, trying to suppress her excitement at their close proximity. "I just happened to notice that you had gathered yourself a few other enemies. Enemies that seem to be winning might I add."

Lexa glared at Clarke. "They may have the upper hand at the moment but that's only because they had the element of surprise. We can still win," she said coldly.

"You think so?" Clarke said sweetly. "You really have enough men to beat both my people and this lot?"

Clarke felt it was important not to try and beg or force Lexa into an agreement. It was necessary for her to try and play it cool. Let Lexa think that she was still in control.

"It doesn't seem like we're far away from beating you," Lexa said cruelly. "Why else would you have risked yourself by crossing the battlefield?"

"Because I don't want us both to have to lose everything," Clarke told her.

Lexa remained still.

"What happened?" Clarke asked softly.

Lexa swallowed hard as if the subject was hard for her to talk about. "The Ice Nation," she said bitterly. "They waited until we'd engaged with your people then they turned on us along with numerous other clans. They'd clearly been planning it for a while. Their Queen must have orchestrated it all from the comfort of her homeland."

"I'm sorry," Clarke said. "I know how proud you were of uniting the clans."

"It's not about pride," Lexa snapped.

"Ok," Clarke threw up her hands. "You're clearly angry, seeking revenge? How will you be able to do that if you and all your people are dead? You shouldn't let this Ice Queen hurt you again!"

"Oh she won't get another chance to," Lexa growled.

"Good, so you'll consider joining with us to defeat these rebellious clans?" Clarke asked hopefully.

"I didn't say that," Lexa said. "We can defeat them ourselves. We don't need your help."

"I disagree," Clarke replied. "I was watching your fight, you can't possibly fight against us and your own people at the same time, you just don't have the numbers."

"I can't just change sides halfway through a battle," Lexa retorted. "My people would never agree to stop and work with the people that they had been aiming to kill moments before."

"They would if you told them to," Clarke argued. "Yes, you've lost hundreds of your people today but there are still hundreds that remain loyal, that would do whatever you told them to. You're the Commander!"

Lexa looked around at the fighting, her face remained empty but Clarke could tell that she was thinking hard.

Clarke wondered whether she was doing the right thing by putting her trust in the one that had betrayed her so easily in the recent past. She could see no other way of keeping her people safe though.

Her loyalties were torn too as she also didn't want anything to happen to Lexa and her people despite all that had occurred between them.

"As leaders it's our job to protect our people. Think of all that you have done in the past for the good of your people, are you really going to let that all be for nothing? All those that died at Ton DC? All that effort you went to, to unite the clans and to then form an alliance with us against the wishes of your people. Accepting the deal with Mount Weather and allowing your people to walk free," Clarke couldn't keep the hint of bitterness out of her tone at these last words.

Lexa stared at Clarke blankly. Clarke stared back, unwilling to push Lexa too far.

The two stood lost in each others gazes, temporarily unaware of the war happening around them.

Eventually Lexa spoke.

"Your people would be willing to fight alongside us?" she asked stiffly.

"They won't be happy about it," Clarke admitted. "But if they want to live then they'll do it."

Lexa nodded. "And your mother?"

"My mother may be Chancellor but when it comes to keeping our people alive, I'm in control," Clarke said loudly.

The trace of a smile flickered across Lexa's face.

"Fine. We will join together to beat these traitors," she said grudgingly. "But what happens when it's over?"

"We sign a peace treaty like I had wanted to do from the beginning," Clarke growled. "We agree to live peacefully but independently. There will be no interaction between our people. It's too soon to consider any sort of friendly relationship."

"Very well," Lexa agreed. "We must move quickly. You two take Clarke back to her people – if she dies, so do you," she ordered two of her generals. "You spread the word to your people and I shall reach out to mine. We shall see one another when we are victorious," Lexa spoke to Clarke quietly.

Clarke nodded. Despite the severity of the situation she was reluctant to leave Lexa's side.

"Stay safe," she whispered.

"And you," Lexa murmured in reply.

...

Once back at the camp Clarke relayed her plan to Bellamy.

"What if she betrays us again?" Bellamy asked.

"She won't," Clarke reassured him. "She needs us just as much as we need her. Now we need to spread the word to our people and get them to stop fighting these Grounders and turn to the ones out there," she pointed in the direction of the woods.

"Good luck," Bellamy snorted.

"You get to work here," she told him. "I'll go and find my mother."

As predicted Abby was strongly against the idea.

"Mum look at it out there! We can't win, even with Grounders turning on each other, there's still too many of them. You need to help me spread the word around our people. Lexa's got people out doing the same on her side," Clarke implored.

"Lexa," Abby snarled. "What is it about that girl? Why are you so willing to go back into business with her so soon after she betrayed us?"

"It's not something that I want to do, it's something that has to be done. She's not a bad person once you get to know her. She puts her people first and does what she thinks is right despite the consequences," Clarke defended Lexa. "Now we have to do the same. We may not want to join up with the Grounders again but if we want to survive then it's our only chance. The plan is already in motion, it would work a lot better if I had your help in communicating it to our people."

Abby eventually gave in and agreed to help. As they set out to convey the message to the Sky People a horn sounded from the Grounders outside of the Camp. The Grounders within the camp threw confused looks at one another before hesitantly retreating back out into the open.

The Sky People continued to shoot at the retreating figures so Clarke and her mother quickly got to work ordering them to stop.

The Grounders stopped halfway between Camp Jaha and the continuing battle of the clans. There they were met by a few solitary figures, one of which was Lexa who began to shout to them in Trigedasleng.

Clarke and Abby took the opportunity to gather what was left of their people together and to explain the new plan to them. They were met by looks of anger and disgust by many of the crowd.

With all the stress that Clarke had been dealing with since the battle of Mount Weather she had found her patience wearing very thin.

"Look!" she snapped. "It comes down to this – if we team up with the Grounders then we have a chance of winning this war and being left in peace. If we decide to fight on alone then we will most likely die. I'd like to live and I'm sure you would too! Yes the Grounders betrayed us once and of course they could do it again but right now they're in the same position as us. Trust me, you'd rather that Lexa and the clans under her control were still around than the Ice Nation and those that have chosen to side with them. Now lets go out there and finish this war once and for all!"

The people cheered and began to follow Clarke out of the gate and towards the waiting Grounders.

Their people intertwined and threw suspicious looks at each other but no weapons were raised against one another.

Clarke breathed a sigh of relief and pushed her way to the front of the group to stand beside Lexa. It felt strange to be once more side by side on the battlefield. It took Clarke back to Mount Weather and the moment that Lexa had turned away from them causing her such emotional pain.

"Ready?" Clarke asked.

Lexa nodded.

"Lexa? Clarke asked hesitantly.

"Yes Clarke."

"You're not going to betray us this time are you?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she realised how childish she sounded and she hated herself for it. Especially since she had been the one defending Lexa just moments ago to both her mother and Bellamy.

"No Clarke. Not this time," Lexa looked at her sincerely and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

Clarke was relieved by her reply, even though she was never able to tell whether Lexa was telling the truth or not.

"Let's go get them," Lexa said grimly.

With their combined forces the Ice Nation did not stand a chance. Quick work was made of the fight due to the advanced fighting skills of the Grounders and the weaponry of the Sky Crew.

...

"We did it," Clarke said faintly as she and Lexa stood surveying the now still battlefield.

"Yes and now you and your people can live in peace," Lexa told her.

"And you?" Clarke asked.

"We may have been victorious here but the Ice Nation is still out there," Lexa said angrily. "Our fight shall continue."

"I'm sorry that things didn't work out for you," Clarke said sincerely.

"So am I," Lexa said sadly. "Perhaps it was always meant to be this way. 12 Clans is a lot for the one person to try and control."

"You managed it well enough," Clarke encouraged her. "Don't let this overshadow all of the good that you have achieved. You might be able to win the other clans back."

"Perhaps," Lexa replied. "It will require a lot of begging on their part. I lost a lot of good people out there today," she said bitterly. "For now though I shall focus on rewarding those that remained loyal. We will leave you and your people now as per our agreement."

"Thank you," Clarke acknowledged. "Give us a day or so to recover and we shall have a proper treaty written up."

"Very well," Lexa said. She looked at Clarke with a conflicted look, unwilling to voice her thoughts.

Clarke took the initiative, guessing that it was probably the same thought that had been occupying her mind.

"Just because my people don't want anything to do with you doesn't mean that I don't," she said carefully. "Despite my better judgement I just can't seem to keep myself away from you," Clarke admitted.

Relief was evident on Lexa's face.

"Good," she whispered. "Because I don't want you to stay away from me," her eyes dropped to the ground as she said this.

"I don't know how it's going to work or if it's going to work at all but I am willing to give us a go," Clarke stated. "It won't go down well with either of our people but I think we've sacrificed enough for them already."

"Agreed," Lexa said eyeing Clarke hungrily. "Now that the Ice Nation have declared war for your own safety it would be best if we kept us quiet."

"I can look after myself," Clarke said haughtily.

"Oh I know," Lexa offered a rare smile. "But it's what's best for now, at least until we figure out what's going on between us."

"Fine," Clarke grumbled. "I suppose sneaking around could be fun," she teased.

Lexa ignored Clarke's comment and snapped back into Commander mode. "We should return to our people, help the wounded and bury the dead. We shall see each other soon Clarke of the Sky People."

With a whisk of her long coat she disappeared into a throng of grounders.

Clarke sighed. There was still a lot of uncertainty ahead for both the survival of her people and her relationship with Lexa but there was nothing for it but to take each day as it came and deal with each individual challenge as it arose.

...

**Thank you so much to everyone who has read this story, I hope that it has given you some enjoyment over the last few months! **


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